temerity

/tə-ˈmer-ə-tē/

Middle English temeryte, borrowed from Latin temeritāt- temeritās, from temere "blindly, recklessly, haphazardly" + -itāt- -itās -itytemere going back to adverbialized locative singular of a noun *temes- "darkness," going back to Indo-European *temH-es-, whence also Sanskrit tamas- "darkness, gloom," Avestan tǝmah-, and, from the base *temH-, Lithuanian témsta, témti "to become dark," tamsà "darkness," tim͂sras "dark red (of a horse), sorrel," Old Church Slavic tĭma "darkness," tĭmĭnŭ "dark, gloomy," and from a *-ro- adjectival derivative Sanskrit tamra- "darkening, oppressive," Germanic *þemra- "darkness," whence Old High German demar "dusk, twilight"

noun

  1. unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger or opposition : rashness, recklessness

  2. a rash or reckless act

temerity audacity hardihood effrontery nerve cheek gall chutzpah mean conspicuous or flagrant boldness. temerity suggests boldness arising from rashness and contempt of danger. audacity implies a disregard of restraints commonly imposed by convention or prudence.