Caveat
/ˈkæv.i.æt/noun
A warning or proviso, especially one attached to a statement or agreement.
Did you know?In Latin, *caveat* is the third-person present subjunctive of *cavēre* (“to be on guard”), which is why it entered English as a formal warning before becoming the everyday phrase in “caveat emptor.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*keu̯-
“to bend, turn aside, or be alert”
Latin
Latin
cavēre
“to be on guard against, beware, take care”
Late Latin
Latin
caveat
“let him beware”
Middle English
English
caveat
“a formal warning or legal notice”
Modern English
English
caveat
“a warning or limiting condition”
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