caution

English

Etymology

Recorded since 1297 as Middle English caucioun (“bail, guarantee, pledge”), from Old French caution (“security, surety”), itself from Latin cautiō, from cautus, past participle of caveō, cavēre (“be on one's guard”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kôshn, IPA^(key): /ˈkɔːʃ(ə)n/
• (US) enPR: kôshn, IPA^(key): /ˈkɔʃ(ə)n/
• (cot–caught merger) enPR: käshn, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑʃ(ə)n/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːʃən

Noun

caution (countable and uncountable, plural cautions)

1. Prudence when faced with, or when expecting to face, danger; care taken in order to avoid risk or harm.

   take caution

   have caution

   exercise great caution

   utmost caution is required when travelling in this dangerous neighbourhood

   act with caution

   proceed without due caution

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:

     In way of caution I must tell you.

   • 1960 December, “Talking of Trains: The railways and the Devon floods”, in Trains Illustrated, page 709:

     [...] and on the Saturday heavy seas pounded the W.R. on its exposed coastal stretch between Dawlish and Teignmouth, loosening the ballast and forcing trains to proceed with extreme caution.

2. A careful attention to the probable effects of an act, in order that failure or harm may be avoided.

   The guideline expressed caution against excessive radiographic imaging.

3. Security; guaranty; bail.
   • 1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, “(please specify |book=I to XVI)”, in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the Theater, published 1707, →OCLC:

     The Parliament would yet give his majesty sufficient caution that the war should be vigorously prosecuted.

4. (dated) One who draws attention or causes astonishment by their behaviour.

   Oh, that boy, he's a caution! He does make me laugh.

   • 1915, W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage, chapter 58:

     ‘You are a caution,’ she said, when she came out. ‘I don't understand you.’

5. (law) A formal warning given as an alternative to prosecution in minor cases.
6. (soccer) A yellow card.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:caution

Hyponyms

• precaution

Derived terms

• abundance of caution
• cast caution to the wind
• cautionary
• caution fatigue
• caution money
• caution - slippery when wet
• caution to snakes
• cautious
• competition caution
• err on the side of caution
• hypercaution
• incaution
• interview under caution
• precaution
• throw caution to the wind
• toss caution to the wind

 

Related terms

• caveat

Translations

precept or warning against evil or danger

• Bulgarian: внимание (bg) n (vnimanie)
• Catalan: advertència (ca) f
• Danish: advarsel (da) c
• Dutch: waarschuwing (nl)
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: varoitus (fi), neuvo (fi), ohjenuora
• French: ^{(please verify)} admonition (fr), ^{(please verify)} avertissement (fr) m, ^{(please verify)} mise en garde (fr)
• Georgian: გაფრთხილება (gaprtxileba)
• German: Warnung (de) f, Vorsicht (de) f
• Greek: προσοχή (el) f (prosochí), προφύλαξη (el) f (profýlaxi), προσεκτικότητα f (prosektikótita)
• Hungarian: figyelmeztetés (hu), óvás (hu)
• Italian: cautela (it) f
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: cautēla f
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Mizo: vaukhanna
• Navajo: sínízid
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: advarsel (no) m

• Occitan: avertiment (oc) m
• Polish: ostrzeżenie (pl) n, przestroga (pl) f
• Portuguese: advertência (pt) f
• Romagnol: cautēla f
• Romanian: grijă (ro) f, precauție (ro) f
• Russian: предостереже́ние (ru) n (predosterežénije), предупрежде́ние (ru) (predupreždénije)
• Serbo-Croatian: опрез m (oprez)
• Spanish: advertencia (es) f
• Tagalog: paingat
• Thai: คำเตือน (kam-dtʉʉan)
• Ukrainian: попере́дження n (poperédžennja), пересторо́га f (perestoróha)

careful attention, prudence

• Azerbaijani: ehtiyat (az)
• Bengali: সতর্কীকরণ (bn) (śotorkikron)
• Bulgarian: предпазливост (bg) f (predpazlivost), благоразумие (bg) n (blagorazumie)
• Catalan: cautela (ca) f, compte (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 謹慎 / 谨慎 (zh) (jǐnshèn)

• Danish: forsigtighed c, varsomhed c
• Dutch: voorzichtigheid (nl) f, voorzorg (nl) f or m, omzichtigheid (nl) f, terughoudendheid (nl)
• Finnish: varovaisuus (fi), huomio (fi), huolellisuus (fi), tarkkaavaisuus (fi)
• French: ^{(please verify)} précaution (fr)
• Georgian: სიფრთხილე (siprtxile), გაფრთხილება (gaprtxileba), წინდახედულობა (c̣indaxeduloba)
• German: Vorsicht (de) f, Achtsamkeit (de) f, Behutsamkeit (de) f
• Greek: περίσκεψη (el) f (perískepsi), προσοχή (el) f (prosochí)
• Hindi: सावधानी (hi) f (sāvdhānī)
• Hungarian: óvatosság (hu)
• Italian: cautela (it) f, prudenza (it) f
• Japanese: 注意 (ja) (ちゅうい, chūi)
• Korean: 조심 (ko) (josim), 주의 (ko) (juui)
• Latin: cautiō f, cautela f
• Mizo: fimkhurna
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forsiktighet (no) m or f, varsomhet (no) m or f, aktpågivenhet (no) m or f

• Occitan: cautèla (oc) f
• Polish: ostrożność (pl) f, roztropność (pl) f, przezorność (pl) f, uwaga (pl) f
• Portuguese: cuidado (pt) m, caução (pt) f, cautela (pt) f
• Romagnol: cautēla f
• Russian: осторо́жность (ru) f (ostoróžnostʹ)
• Spanish: precaución (es) f, cuidado (es) m, cautela (es) f, caución (es) f
• Swedish: försiktighet (sv) c
• Tagalog: paingat
• Thai: ข้อควรระวัง
• Volapük: prüd (vo)
• Zazaki: ihtiyat

security; guaranty; bail

• Danish: sikkerhed c, garanti c, kaution c
• Dutch: borg (nl), borgsom (nl), garantie (nl), waarborg (nl)
• German: Kaution (de) f
• Greek: προσοχή (el) f (prosochí), προφύλαξη (el) f (profýlaxi)
• Hungarian: óvadék (hu)
• Mizo: zakhamna
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kausjon m

• Portuguese: garantia (pt) f
• Russian: поручи́тельство (ru) n (poručítelʹstvo)
• Spanish: fianza (es) f, caución (es) f
• Zazaki: emel

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} זהירות f (zehirut) (1)
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} cautēla f

Verb

caution (third-person singular simple present cautions, present participle cautioning, simple past and past participle cautioned)

1. (transitive) To warn; to alert, advise that caution is warranted.
2. (soccer) To give a yellow card

Derived terms

• cautioner
• overcaution

 

Translations

to warn

• Bulgarian: предупреждавам (bg) (predupreždavam)
• Danish: advare (da)
• Dutch: waarschuwen (nl), manen (nl)
• Esperanto: atentigi
• Finnish: varoittaa (fi), neuvoa (fi), teroittaa (fi)
• French: avertir (fr)
• German: warnen (de), verwarnen (de)
• Greek: προειδοποιώ (el) (proeidopoió)
• Hungarian: figyelmeztet (hu), óv (hu)
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Khiamniungan Naga: î-pōng
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: advare (no), fraråde (no)

• Ottoman Turkish: ایقاظ ایتمك (ikâz etmek)
• Portuguese: advertir (pt)
• Spanish: advertir (es)
• Tagalog: paingatan
• Thai: เตือน (th) (dtʉʉan)
• Ukrainian: попере́джувати impf (poperédžuvaty), попереджа́ти (poperedžáty), попереди́ти pf (poperedýty), перестеріга́ти impf (peresteriháty), перестерегти́ pf (peresterehtý)

Anagrams

• auction, tauonic

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French caution, borrowed from Latin cautiōnem, from cautus, past participle of caveō, cavēre (“be on one's guard”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ko.sjɔ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

caution f (plural cautions)

1. caution, guaranty, bail
2. deposit
3. security deposit

Derived terms

• cautionnement m
• cautionner

Further reading

• “caution”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• couinât

Norman

Etymology

From Old French caution, borrowed from Latin cautiō, cautiōnem.

Noun

caution f (plural cautions)

1. (Jersey) deposit
2. (Jersey, law) bail