cautel

English

Noun

cautel (countable and uncountable, plural cautels)

1. (obsolete) deceit
   • 1602, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, act 1 scene 3 lines 14-15-16

     Perhaps he loves you now,

     And now no soil nor cautel doth besmirch

     The virtue of his will

2. (obsolete) caution; prudence; wariness

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Fulke to this entry?)

3. (Christianity) A traditional caution or written direction about the proper manner of administering the sacraments.

Derived terms

• cautelous