'risk-taking' originates from the combination of 'risk' and 'taking', where 'risk' comes from the Italian word 'risco', meaning 'danger', and 'taking' is derived from the Old English 'tacan', meaning 'to seize'.

'risk' evolved from the Italian 'risco' to the modern English 'risk', and 'taking' from Old English 'tacan' to 'take'.

Initially, 'risk' meant 'danger', and 'taking' meant 'to seize', but together they evolved to mean 'engaging in actions that involve risk'.