PRECAUTION

precaution, safeguard, guard

(noun) a precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc.; “he put an ice pack on the injury as a precaution”; “an insurance policy is a good safeguard”; “we let our guard down”

precaution

(noun) the trait of practicing caution in advance

caution, precaution, care, forethought

(noun) judiciousness in avoiding harm or danger; “he exercised caution in opening the door”; “he handled the vase with care”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

precaution (countable and uncountable, plural precautions)

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

A measure taken beforehand to ward off evil or secure good or success; a precautionary act.

Verb

precaution (third-person singular simple present precautions, present participle precautioning, simple past and past participle precautioned)

(transitive) To warn or caution beforehand.

(transitive, rare) To take precaution against.

Anagrams

• preauction, unoperatic

Source: Wiktionary

Pre*cau"tion, n. Etym: [F. précation, L. praecautio, fr. praecavere, praecautum, to guard against beforehand; prae before + cavere be on one's guard. See Pre-, and Caution.]

1. Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent mischief or secure good; as, his life was saved by precaution. They [ancient philosophers] treasured up their supposed discoveries with miserable precaution. J. H. Newman.

2. A measure taken beforehand to ward off evil or secure good or success; a precautionary act; as, to take precautions against accident.

Pre*cau"tion, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. précautionner.]

1. To warn or caution beforehand. Locke.

2. To take precaution against. [R.] Dryden.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition