caveat

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A warning or caution: "A final caveat: Most experts feel that clients get unsatisfactory results when they don't specify clearly what they want” ( Savvy).
2. n. A qualification or explanation.
3. n. Law A formal notice filed by an interested party with a court or officer, requesting the postponement of a proceeding until the filer is heard.
4. v. Law To enter a caveat.
5. v. Informal To qualify with a warning or clarification: The spokesperson caveated the statement with a reminder that certain facts were still unknown.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. In law, a notice filed or noted in a public office to prevent some proceeding being had except after warning to the caveator, or person making the caveat: as, a caveat filed with the probate court against the probate of a will. A caveat filed in the United States Patent Office by one who is engaged upon an invention entitles him to notice of any application for a patent for an interfering invention during one year, while he is perfecting his own.
2. n. Figuratively, intimation of caution; warning; admonition; hint.
3. To enter a caveat.
4. In fencing, to shift the sword from one side of an adversary's sword to the other.

Wiktionary

1. n. a warning
2. n. a qualification or exception
3. n. a notice requesting a postponement of a court proceeding
4. n. a formal notice of interest in land, under a Torrens land-title system
5. v. To qualify a particular statement with a proviso or caveat
6. v. To lodge a formal notice of interest in land, under a Torrens land-title system
7. v. To issue a notice requesting that proceedings be suspended
8. v. To warn or caution against some event

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A notice given by an interested party to some officer not to do a certain act until the party is heard in opposition
2. n. A description of some invention, designed to be patented, lodged in the patent office before the patent right is applied for, and operating as a bar to the issue of letters patent to any other person, respecting the same invention.
3. n. Intimation of caution; warning; protest.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. (law) a formal notice filed with a court or officer to suspend a proceeding until filer is given a hearing
2. n. a warning against certain acts