Etymologically
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caute

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈkau̯.teː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈkaːu̯.te][1]

Forms

cautē (not comparable)[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin cautus (“cautious”) + -ē.[2][1] cautus is the past participle of caveō (“to beware”); de Vaan derives it from Proto-Italic *kawitos and the verb from Proto-Indo-European *kouh₁-éye- (“to perceive”).[3] He compares Sanskrit आकुवते (ā-kuváte, “intends”) and Ancient Greek κοέω (koéō, “to perceive, understand”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Plautus.[4] The OLD's first quotation is from Lucilius, of deceiving without danger to oneself.[2]

Semantic evolution

It means with precautions, carefully, and also without risk: Cicero writes that something was all he could safely put in a letter.[2] The comparative ⟨cautius⟩ and the superlative ⟨cautissimē⟩ are found.[2] Church Latin glosses it carefully, circumspectly.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[4]
  • c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius of doing something without risk.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of what can safely be written.[2][4]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. Cautiously, with precautions, circumspectly.[2][1][5]
  2. Without risk or danger.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson