caution

English

Etymology

Recorded since 1297, "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

• enPR: kôshn, IPA^(key): /ˈkɔːʃ(ə)n/
• enPR: käshn, kôshn, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑːʃ(ə)n/, /ˈkɔʃ(ə)n/
• enPR: käshn, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑʃn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːʃən

Noun

caution (countable and uncountable, plural cautions)

1. Precept or warning against evil or danger of any kind; exhortation to wariness; advice; injunction; prudence in regard to danger; provident care
   • 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.

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.
   • (Can we date this quote by Clarendon and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

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

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

• cautionary
• cautious

Related terms

• caveat
• err on the side of caution
• throw caution to the wind

Translations

precept or warning against evil or danger

• Bulgarian: внимание (bg) n (vnimanie)
• 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)
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Mizo: vaukhanna
• Navajo: sínízid
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: advarsel (no) m

• Polish: ostrzeżenie (pl) n, przestroga f
• Portuguese: advertência (pt) 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: please add this translation if you can

careful attention, prudence

• Bengali: সতর্কীকরণ (sôtôrkikôrôn)
• Bulgarian: предпазливост (bg) f (predpazlivost), благоразумие (bg) n (blagorazumie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 謹慎／谨慎 (zh) (jǐnshèn), 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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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

• Polish: ostrożność (pl) f, roztropność (pl) f, przezorność (pl) f, uwaga (pl) f
• Portuguese: cuidado (pt) m, caução (pt) f, cautela (pt) f
• Russian: осторо́жность (ru) f (ostoróžnostʹ)
• Spanish: precaución (es) f, cuidado (es) m, cautela (es) f
• Swedish: försiktighet (sv) c
• Tagalog: paingat
• Volapük: prüd (vo)

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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kausjon m

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

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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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

Translations

to warn

• Bulgarian: предупреждавам (bg) (predupreždavam)
• Danish: advare (da)
• Dutch: waarschuwen (nl), manen (nl)
• Finnish: varoittaa (fi), neuvoa (fi), teroittaa (fi)
• French: avertir (fr)
• German: warnen (de), verwarnen (de)
• Greek: προειδοποιώ (el) (proeidopoió)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: figyelmeztet (hu), óv (hu)
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: advare (no), fraråde

• Portuguese: advertir (pt)
• Spanish: advertir (es)
• Tagalog: paingatan

Anagrams

• auction, tauonic

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French

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• 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

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Norman

Etymology

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

Noun

caution f (plural cautions)

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