# caveat

Pronunciation: US say "KAV-ee-aht" /ˈkæviɑt/; UK/AUS say "KAV-ee-at" /ˈkævɪæt/

## Noun

1. A qualification that limits a statement or arrangement, or an exception made to it.
   - Simple: A condition or exception that limits what someone says or agrees to.
   - _The landlord agreed to the lower rent, with the caveat that we sign a two-year lease._
   - _The senator backed the bill, but only with caveats: no new taxes and a five-year limit._
2. A warning or cautionary remark meant to put someone on guard about something.
   - Simple: A warning that tells someone to be careful about something.
   - _Before we set off, the guide issued a caveat: the river crossing becomes dangerous after heavy rain._
   - _Investors ignored the analyst's caveats about the risks of the new fund._
4. In law, a formal notice lodged with a court or official asking that no action be taken, such as granting probate, until the person lodging it has been heard.
   - Simple: In law, a formal notice asking a court to wait and hear you before it acts.
   - _Suspecting the will had been changed under pressure, the niece's lawyer lodged a caveat with the probate court._
   - _Because the cousins had lodged a caveat, the registry could not grant probate until their objections were heard._

## Verb

3. To qualify a statement by attaching a caveat or proviso to it.
   - Simple: To add a condition or limit to something you say or write.
   - _I should caveat these figures by saying they come from a small sample._
   - _The spokesperson caveated every answer with a reminder that the investigation was ongoing._
5. In law, to lodge a formal caveat objecting to something or asking that proceedings be held until the objector is heard.
   - Simple: In law, to formally object and ask a court to wait before acting.
   - _Convinced their aunt had been pressured into signing, the nephews caveated her will so probate would wait until they were heard._
   - _Any party who wishes to caveat the application must do so within thirty days._

## Verb

6. To warn or caution against something taking place. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To give a warning that something should not happen.

## Other meanings

- (noun) Under a Torrens land-title system, a formal notice lodged to show that someone claims an interest in a piece of land.
- (verb) Under a Torrens land-title system, to lodge a formal notice claiming an interest in a piece of land.

## Origin

A learned borrowing from Latin caveat ("may he/she/it beware"), a form of caveō ("I beware of"). It is a doublet of show: both go back to the Proto-Indo-European root *(s)kewh₁- ("to heed, look, feel, take note of").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/caveat (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).