cauto
Italian
Etymology
From Latin cautus, derived from caveō (“to beware, avoid”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkaw.to/
- Rhymes: -awto
- Hyphenation: càu‧to
Adjective
cauto (feminine cauta, masculine plural cauti, feminine plural caute)
- prudent, cautious, sly
- Synonyms: accorto, attento, circospetto, guardingo, prudente
- Antonyms: arrischiato, avventato, azzardato, imprudente, incauto, inconsulto, sconsiderato
- early 14th century, Dante, “Canto XVI”, in Inferno, lines 118–120:
- Ahi quanto cauti li uomini esser dienno
presso a color che non veggion pur l'ovra,
ma per entro i pensier miran col senno!- Ah me! how very cautious men should be with those who not alone behold the act, but with their wisdom look into the thoughts!
- 14th century, Giovanni Boccaccio, “Giornata quarta – Novella terza”, in Decameron:
- La Maddalena, […] per un cauto ambasciadore gli significò, sé essere presta ad ogni suo comandamento
- Maddalena signified to him by a prudent messenger that she was at his commandment in everything
- 1825, Vincenzo Monti, transl., “Libro XXIII [Book 23]”, in Iliade [Iliad], Milan: Giovanni Resnati e Gius. Bernardoni di Gio, translation of Ῑ̓λιάς (Īliás) by Homer, published 1840, lines 450–453, page 496:
- […] infranto
N'andrebbe il carro, offesi i corridori,
E tu deriso e di disnor coperto.
Sii dunque saggio e cauto.- The chariot would be destroyed, the racers hurt, and you mocked and dishonoured/dishonored. Be therefore wise and cautious.
- 1835, Giacomo Leopardi, “V. A un vincitore nel pallone”, in Canti, Bari: Einaudi, published 1917, lines 43–46, page 26:
- […] pochi Soli
forse fien vòlti, e le cittá latine
abiterá la cauta volpe, e l’atro
bosco mormorerá fra le alte mura- perhaps only a few suns will turn, and the sly fox will inhabit Latin cities, and the dark woods’ murmuring surround the high walls
Derived terms
- cautamente
Anagrams
- acuto
Latin
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈkau̯.toː/, [ˈkäu̯t̪oː]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈkau̯.to/, [ˈkäːu̯t̪o]
Noun
cautō
- dative/ablative singular of cautum
Portuguese
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin cautus, past participle of cavēre.[1][2] Doublet of couto.
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈkaw.tu/ [ˈkaʊ̯.tu]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈkaw.to/ [ˈkaʊ̯.to]
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /ˈkaw.tu/
- Rhymes: -awtu
- Hyphenation: cau‧to
Adjective
cauto (feminine cauta, masculine plural cautos, feminine plural cautas)
- cautious
- Synonyms: cauteloso, prudente
Related terms
- incauto
- acautelado
References
- “cauto” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2023.
- “cauto” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.
Spanish
Etymology
From Latin cautus.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkauto/ [ˈkau̯.t̪o]
- Rhymes: -auto
- Syllabification: cau‧to
Adjective
cauto (feminine cauta, masculine plural cautos, feminine plural cautas)
- cautious
- Synonym: cauteloso
Related terms
- cautela
- cauteloso
- coto
- acotar
- incautar
- incauto
Further reading
- “cauto”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014