caveat

American  

[kav-ee-aht, -at, kah-vee-, key-] / ˈkæv iˌɑt, -ˌæt, ˈkɑ vi-, keɪ- /

noun

1. a warning or caution.

   Before proceeding with the investment, he was given a caveat about potential risks and volatility in the stock market.

2. Law. a legal notice to a court or public officer to suspend a certain proceeding until the notifier is given a hearing.

   a caveat filed against the probate of a will.

---

verb (used with or without object)

1. to give a warning or caution (about information being presented).

   The authors of the paper caveated their findings with a reminder that further research would be necessary.

   Rather than hedging and caveating, I'll just say what I think.

caveat British  

/ ˈkeɪvɪˌæt, ˈkæv- /

noun

1. law a formal notice requesting the court or officer to refrain from taking some specified action without giving prior notice to the person lodging the caveat

2. a warning; caution

---

Other Word Forms

• caveated adjective

Etymology

Origin of caveat

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin: “let him beware,” 3rd-person singular present subjunctive of cavēre “to take care”; caution

Example Sentences

The caveat is that the stocks could easily become cheaper.

From Barron's

Choi recognizes this caveat but said he thinks it is valuable to incorporate even a rough approximation of, say, future earnings rather than exclude them from financial planning.

From The Wall Street Journal

Should your children’s inheritance come with stopgaps and caveats, or is it better to simply leave them a sum for education and housing and give the rest to your favorite causes?

From MarketWatch

One caveat is that the law requires that “the pupil notifies the school ahead of the absence.”

From Los Angeles Times

The math on owning versus renting for 30 years and investing the difference works out in Bovington’s favor, a Moody’s Analytics analysis for The Wall Street Journal showed—with some caveats.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• admonition