praecaveo

Forms

praecaveō (present infinitive praecavēre, perfect active praecāvī, supine praecautum); second conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin prae- + caveō (“to be on one's guard”).^[2][1] De Vaan lists it among the derivatives of caveō, which goes back to Proto-Italic *kawē- and Proto-Indo-European *kouh₁-éie- (“to perceive”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus on,^[3] meaning to be on one's guard: in the Epidicus one speaker warns another “but you, beware”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Plautus also uses it transitively, of something that must be guarded against and seen to,^[2] and Terence with a dative, of looking out for oneself.^[2] Cicero speaks of wrongs that are very hard to guard against, and Livy uses it with an indirect question, of taking care who sits at the helm.^[4][2] Ecclesiastical Latin kept the senses “take precautions, provide for the future”.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it for “beware” and “guard against”.^[2][6]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it with a dative.^[2][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of wrongs hard to guard against.^[4][6]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it with an indirect question.^[2][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. (intransitive) To be on one's guard, take precautions, beware; with a dative, to look out for (someone).^[2][4]
2. (transitive) To guard against, seek to avert or prevent; to take care (that).^[2][4]

Word family

• praecautiō
• praecautus

Related words

• caveō

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 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 Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de