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precautionary

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Etymology and origin of the English word precautionary

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1647 M. Hudson, The Divine Right of Government More words from the 17th century
Ultimate origin
Latin caveō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin caveō
Latin praecaveō
Latin praecautiō
English precaution
English precautionary
From the same root
Latin cautiō ← caveō
Latin cautor ← caveō
Latin cautus ← caveō

Pronunciation

  • UK: /prɪˈkɔːʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/, /prəˈkɔːʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/[1]
  • US: /prɪˈkɑːʃ(ə)neri/, /priːˈkɑːʃ(ə)neri/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English precaution + -ary,[2][3][4] after cautionary.[2] The OED compares precautional and the slightly earlier precautious.[2] Precaution is from Middle French precaution and directly from Late Latin praecautiō (“wariness, forethought”), from praecaveō (“to guard against beforehand”), from prae- and caveō (“to beware”).[2][3] For the phrase “precautionary principle” the OED compares German Vorsorgeprinzip, recorded from 1984 or earlier.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of the nature of a precaution: 1647, in M. Hudson's The Divine Right of Government.[2]

Semantic evolution

The 2007 revision of the OED pushed both senses back by a century: the 1989 edition dated "advising caution" to 1757 and "of the nature of a precaution" to 1807,[5] while the revised entry has 1648 and 1647.[2] Etymonline dates the adjective to 1720[3] and Dictionary.com to 1740–50.[4] The noun, a precautionary measure, is recorded from 1748, in Richardson's Clarissa.[2][5]

Timeline

  • 1647 – of the nature of a precaution.[2]
  • 1648 – advising or suggesting caution.[2]
  • 1748 – noun, a precaution.[2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Done or taken as a precaution against possible harm: The school closed as a precautionary measure.[6][2][1]
  2. Advising or suggesting caution.[6][2]

Noun

  1. A precautionary measure; a precaution.[2][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Precautionary.” Etymologically, 8 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/precautionary. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·