caveat emptor
[ kav-ee-aht -emp-tawr, -at, kah-vee-, key-; Latin kah-we-aht -emp-tohr ]
/ ˈkæv iˌɑt ˈɛmp tɔr, -ˌæt, ˈkɑ vi-, keɪ-; Latin ˈkɑ wɛˌɑt ˈɛmp toʊr /
noun
let the buyer beware: the principle that the seller of a product cannot be held responsible for its quality unless it is guaranteed in a warranty.
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Origin of caveat emptor
Borrowed into English from Latin around 1515–25
Words nearby caveat emptor
cavatelli, cavatina, cave, cave art, caveat, caveat emptor, caveator, cave bear, cave canem, cave cricket, cave dweller
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for caveat emptor
caveat emptor
/ (ˈɛmptɔː) /
noun
the principle that the buyer must bear the risk for the quality of goods purchased unless they are covered by the seller's warranty
Word Origin for caveat emptor
Latin: let the buyer beware
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for caveat emptor
Caveat emptor
[ (kav-ee-aht, kah-vee-aht emp-tawr) ]
Latin for “Let the buyer beware.” It means that a customer should be cautious and alert to the possibility of being cheated: “Caveat emptor is the first rule of buying a used car.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.