precaution

nounverbattested in dialogue

United Kingdom//pɹiːˈkɔː.ʃən//
United States//pɹiːˈkɔ.ʃən//
//pɹiːˈkɔːʃən//
//pɹiːˈkɑ.ʃən//
/[pɹiːˈkɑ.ʃn̩]/

Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent misfortune or to secure good.

noun

1
Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent misfortune or to secure good.
his life was saved by precaution
July 2, 1826, John Henry Newman, The Philosophical Temper, First Enjoined by the Gospel The ancient philosophers treasured up their supposed discoveries with miserable precaution.
2
A measure taken beforehand to ward off evil or secure good or success; a precautionary act.
to take precautions against risks of accident
Despite all these precautions, however, severe storms sometimes caused drifts which brought traffic completely to a standstill.

Etymology

From French précaution, Latin praecautio, from praecavere, praecautum (“to guard against beforehand”); prae (“before”) + cavere (“be on one's guard”). See pre-, and caution.

verb

1
To warn or caution beforehand.
2
rareTo take precaution against.

Forms

plural: precautions
past tense: precautioned
past participle: precautioned
present participle: precautioning
third person singular: precautions

preacher · Someone who preaches a worldview, philosophy, or religion,…Preacher · Ecclesiastes, the twenty-first book of the Old Testament.preaching · The act of delivering a sermon or similar moral instruction.

precaution · Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent misfortune or to secure good.

precedent · An act in the past which may be used as an example to help…precinct · An enclosed space having defined limits, normally marked by…precious · Of high value or worth.

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