Dictionary

micromort en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈmaɪkɹəˌmɔ(ɹ)t/

Etymology

From micro- (“one millionth”) + mort (“death”).

Meanings

1. A unit of risk equivalent to a one-in-a-million probability of death.
   • Taking one pill from the jar amounts to being exposed to exactly one micromort. The amount you are willing to pay to avoid this risk is called your micromort value. Micromorts help us reason about decisions with small probabilities but very serious outcomes, such as deciding whether to undergo surgery that eliminates life-long pain but fails with a 1% probability, resulting in immediate death. 2020, Gregor Hohpe, The Software Architect Elevator […] , O'Reilly, →ISBN, page 49:
   • This is described as 10 micromorts per operation, and we can compare this figure with other average risks, such as skydiving (also 10 micromorts), or riding a motorcycle in the UK (yoou^([sic]) have to go around 60 miles to rack up 10 micromorts). The micromort is also roughly the average acute risk we face each day simply by being alive. 2012 February 16, David Spiegelhalter, “Microlives: A lesson in risk taking”, in BBC Future:

Forms

Coordinates

microlife