Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An action taken in advance to protect against possible danger, failure, or injury; a safeguard: followed safety precautions when using heavy machinery.
- n. Caution practiced in advance; forethought or circumspection: a need for precaution when planning a vacation.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Previous caution; prudent foresight; care previously employed to prevent mischief or secure good results.
- n. A measure taken beforehand; an act of foresight, designed to ward off possible evil or to secure good results.
- To caution beforehand; warn.
Wiktionary
- n. Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent mischief or secure good; as, his life was saved by precaution.
- n. A measure taken beforehand to ward off evil or secure good or success; a precautionary act; as, to take precautions against risks of accident.
- v. transitive : To warn or caution beforehand. --Locke.
- v. transitive, rare : To take precaution against. --John Dryden.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent mischief or secure good.
- n. A measure taken beforehand to ward off evil or secure good or success; a precautionary act.
- v. To warn or caution beforehand.
- v. rare To take precaution against.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc.
- n. the trait of practicing caution in advance
- n. judiciousness in avoiding harm or danger
Etymologies
- From French précaution, Latin praecautio, from praecavere, praecautum ("to guard against beforehand"); prae ("before") + cavere ("be on one's guard"). See pre-, and caution. (Wiktionary)
- Late Latin praecautiō, praecautiōn-, from praecautus, past participle of Latin praecavēre, to guard against : prae-, pre- + cavēre, to beware. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“In this connection, the term precaution must not be used as a guise for trade protectionist measures as this would have the effect of casting doubt upon, and even undermining, environmental as well as trade policy objectives.”
“Tamiflu already has a label precaution about this potential side effect, which drew attention two years ago after reports of 12 deaths and about three dozen neuropsychiatric events in Japan in 2000 to 2005.”
“I grant that precaution is necessary in dealing with them," Joan agreed; "but I believe that more satisfactory results can be obtained by treating them with discreet kindness and gentleness.”
“There are many people in the scientific community who agree that this precaution is necessary.”
The Washington Post: Global convention delegates consider strict limits on climate engineering
“Adway lightly unfastened his holster in precaution, trying to remain as calm as he could.”
“Consequently the suggested precaution is hardly mild if we read this opinion broadly (as PatHMV seems to do).”
The Volokh Conspiracy » What Should Landlords Do If a Tenant Is Accused of a Violent Crime?
“The reason that I suggest that you take some sort of security precaution is because of the experience that I went through here.”
“Another precaution is to always store products in their original containers, says Dr. Muller.”
“Carefully I covered my rock cisterns with flat stones so that the sun's rays might not evaporate the precious fluid and in precaution against some upspringing of wind in the night and the sudden flying of spray.”
“As a preventive of intrigues the precaution is excellent.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘precaution’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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common UA vocab. in US
Interesting, there is a traditional vocabulary of an Ukrainian, that differs from vocabulary of average American. It would be nice to explore it.
jackdaw, incongruous, cassock, vivid, magpie, humdrum, amongst, wonder, wandering, wheedling, wheedle, osseous and 368 more...
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pre-, prae-
before
precede, precocious, pre-adolescent, predisposition, prepare, prefix, pregame, predict, precaution, precook, preheat, preview and 10 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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eggplantia5's Words
scintillate, marvel, cranberry, oscillate, triumph, bamboozle, grimace, magical, book, hexagon, cipher, compendium and 2727 more...
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Keeping Secrets
Words of 10 letters, all different, can be used for encrypting, pretty securely, such things as PINs and passwords. The fly in the ointment, for me, in keeping track of them is I've got to write '...
lumberjack, birthplace, whiskeybar, vanquished, metaphysic, precaution, quizmaster, dumbwaiter, thumbscrew, blacksmith, wholegrain, wanderlust and 105 more...
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RocknRolla (2008)
Words from 2008 'RocknRolla' film.
drip, consent, foothold, bricks and mortar, mortar, councillor, let down, wand, clean out, leg-up, hasty, erect and 115 more...
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Panvocalics
Panvocalics are words that contain all the vowels. Listed here are "euvocalics": words that have each of the five vowels only once. (These are also a kind of supervocalic.) Words that also have a "...
subcontinental, unoriental, ultraviolet, tourmaline, sequoia, jacqueminot, milquetoast, xenosaurid, thunderation, adenovirus, accoutering, absolutive and 2777 more...
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my dictionary
able, abnormally, abroad, absent, abstract, acceptable, acceptance, access, accessible, accession, according to, account and 4551 more...
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wordsmithing part deux
because wordsmith is not a verb.
enmity, incarnate, chignon, nape, solitude, nocturne, decorum, warren, svelte, interstice, serene, charlotte and 488 more...
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1
hypomania, hypomanic, complementary, deem, problematic, volatile, mercurial, unaccompanied, counterpart, irritability, hyperthymia, violent and 130 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for precaution.
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