caveo
Latin

Beware of the dog
Etymology
From Proto-Italic *kawēō, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁- (“to perceive, pay attention”).
Cognate with Ancient Greek κοέω (koéō), Sanskrit कवि (kaví, “wise, poet, seer, sage”), Lithuanian kavoti (“safeguard, tend”), Old Armenian ցուցանեմ (cʿucʿanem, “I show”), English show.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈka.u̯e.oː/, [ˈkäu̯eoː]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈka.ve.o/, [ˈkäːveo]
Verb
caveō (present infinitive cavēre, perfect active cāvī, supine cautum); second conjugation
- I take precautions, beware, take care; I guard against, attend to a thing for a person, provide.
- (with ablative, with dative, with ab, with cum, with nē, with ut) I guard against, I am on my guard against, I take care that (not).
- (with dative) I look out in the interests of.
- (law) I make legal provisions (for or against), I order, decree, stipulate.
- (law) I give surety or guarantees, I secure bail; I pledge, certify.
Usage notes
The primary sense ("beware") may either govern a noun in the accusative or a subjunctive clause joined with nē, with the meaning "beware not to, make sure that you don't". However, the latter use became idiomatic early on with the particle nē omitted. In either case, the semantically-weakened cavĕ regularly has a short final vowel through iambic shortening. C.f. the parallel positive vidĕ (“see that, make sure to”).
Conjugation
1At least one rare poetic syncopated perfect form is attested.
Descendants
- ⇒ Vulgar Latin: *cavicare
- Old French: chuer
- French: choyer
- Old French: chuer
References
- “caveō” on page 315 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (2nd ed., 2012)
- “caveo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “caveo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- caveo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
- Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
- (ambiguous) to prescribe in one's will: testamento aliquid cavere (Fin. 2. 31)
- (ambiguous) to prescribe in one's will: testamento aliquid cavere (Fin. 2. 31)