caveat emptor

[kav-ee-aht emp-tawr, -at, kah-vee-, key-; Latin kah-we-aht emp-tohr]

See more synonyms for caveat emptor on Thesaurus.com

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.

Origin of caveat emptor

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1515–25

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for caveat emptor

caveat emptor

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

Word Origin and History for caveat emptor

Latin, literally "let the buyer beware;" see caveat and second element of exempt (adj.).

caveat emptor in Culture

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.”