The Collaborative International Dictionary
Parlousness
Parlous \Par"lous\, a. [For perlous, a contr. fr. perilous.]
Attended with peril; dangerous; as, a parlous cough. [Archaic] ``A parlous snuffing.''
--Beau. & Fl.Venturesome; bold; mischievous; keen. [Obs.] ``A parlous boy.''
--Shak. ``A parlous wit.''
--Dryden. -- Par"lous*ly, adv. [Obs.] -- Par"lous*ness, n. [Obs.]
Wiktionary
parlousness
n. Quality of being parlous.