caveat

Where does the word "caveat" come from? It comes from Latin caveat, and was adopted directly into English (1550s).

Caveat’s story begins in Latin: caveat meant “let him beware.” 'let him beware', from 'cavēre'; Roman law gave the maxim 'caveat emptor', let the buyer beware. It reached English by 1550s as caveat. First a legal notice to suspend proceedings, filed in English courts that still worked in Latin. Today, caveat means a warning or proviso of specific conditions.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient caveat "let him beware", 'let him beware', from 'cavēre'; Roman law gave the maxim 'caveat emptor', let the buyer beware.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1550s caveat "a warning", first a legal notice to suspend proceedings, filed in English courts that still worked in Latin.