caveat emptor
[kav-ee-aht emp-tawr, -at, kah-vee-, key-; Latin kah-we-aht emp-tohr]
- 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
caveat emptor
- the principle that the buyer must bear the risk for the quality of goods purchased unless they are covered by the seller's warranty
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Word Origin
Latin: let the buyer beware
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for caveat emptor
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.”
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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.