cautious English · revision 39654

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=a1640, P. Massinger, The Guardian}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * UK: /ˈkɔːʃəs/^(Wiktionary)

+ * US: /ˈkɔʃəs/, /ˈkɑʃəs/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It was formed [[af|en|caution|-ous]] in English,^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)^(Dictionary.com 2016) with the stem of ''caution'' and the suffix in the form [[m|en|-ious]], as if from a Latin [[m|la|*cautiōsus]], which is not recorded.^(OED 2026) The Shorter Oxford and the Oxford Dictionary of English explain it as modelled on pairs such as [[ambition]] and [[ambitious]].^(SOED 2002)^(ODE 2010) ''Caution'' itself goes back to [[la|cautiō]], from [[m|la|cautus|t=careful, heedful]], the past participle of [[m|la|caveō|t=to take care]];^(AHD 2024)^(Etymonline) Etymonline notes that ''cautus'' was the Latin word for "cautious".^(Etymonline) Johnson (1755) derived the English word from ''cautus'' directly.^(Johnson 1755)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Marked by caution; wary, careful, circumspect, of persons and their conduct: a1640, in Philip Massinger's play ''The Guardian'', where it may mean "fearful".^(OED 2026) Merriam-Webster gives 1614,^(MWU 2024) and Etymonline dates the word to the 1640s.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The meaning has stayed close to the modern one since the 17th century.^(OED 2026)^(HTOED) The construction ''cautious to'' was once used where ''cautious not to'' is now usual, as ''careful to'' once meant "careful not to", and ''cautious of'' is obsolete;^(OED 2026)^(SOED 2002) the OED's first example of these constructions is from Milton's ''Paradise Lost'' (1667).^(OED 2026) Johnson (1755) defined it as wary, watchful.^(Johnson 1755) In Scots it had a kindlier sense: in Perthshire ''a cautious body'' was an unassuming, obliging person, and in Aberdeenshire ''be cautious'' meant "be quiet".^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1614 – Merriam-Webster's first date.^(MWU 2024)

+ * a1640 – careful, wary, circumspect.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1667 – with ''of'', ''how'' or ''to'', careful about something or careful not to do it.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Careful to avoid [[risk]], danger or mistakes; [[wary]] and [[prudent]]: ''a cautious driver''.^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # Showing [[caution]] or reserve; not rash or hasty: ''The minister gave a cautious welcome to the report.''^(Collins 2023)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[cautiously]]

+ * [[cautiousness]]

+ * [[incautious]]

+ * [[overcautious]]

+ * [[hypercautious]]

+ * [[supercautious]]

+ * [[uncautious]]

+ * [[ultracautious]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[caution]]

+ * [[caveat]]

+ * [[precaution]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Merriam-Webster contrasts ''cautious'' with ''circumspect'', ''wary'', ''chary'' and ''calculating'': ''cautious'' can suggest no more than taking care to limit risk.^(MWU 2024) Dictionary.com refers it to its synonym study at ''careful''.^(Dictionary.com 2016)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}