caveo
Latin
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.
- Synonyms: cūrō, accūrō, servō, videō, cōnsulō, prōcūrō, colō, cōnsultō
- Caveat emptor.
- Buyer beware.
- (with accusative) I beware of, keep away from, avoid.
- c. 27 CE – 66 CE, Petronius, Satyricon 29:
- Cave canem.
- Beware of the dog.
- Cave canem.
- (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).
- (imperative) beware not to!, refrain from!, make sure that not, mind that you don't!
- Cave sīs tē videam!
- Make sure I don't see you again!
- c. 84 BCE – 54 BCE, Catullus, Carmina 50.13-14:
- Nunc audāx cave sīs, precēsque nostrās/ōrāmus, cave dēspuās, ocelle!
- Beware of being haughty now, I beg you, and don't reject my desperate request, my jewel!
- Nunc audāx cave sīs, precēsque nostrās/ōrāmus, cave dēspuās, ocelle!
- (imperative) beware not to!, refrain from!, make sure that not, mind that you don't!
- (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.
- (with ab) I procure bail or surety from.
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
Conjugation of caveō (second conjugation) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
indicative | singular | plural | |||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
active | present | caveō | cavēs | cavet | cavēmus | cavētis | cavent |
imperfect | cavēbam | cavēbās | cavēbat | cavēbāmus | cavēbātis | cavēbant | |
future | cavēbō | cavēbis | cavēbit | cavēbimus | cavēbitis | cavēbunt | |
perfect | cāvī | cāvistī, cāstī1 | cāvit, cāt1 | cāvimus, cāmus1 | cāvistis, cāstis1 | cāvērunt, cāvēre, cārunt1 | |
pluperfect | cāveram, cāram1 | cāverās, cārās1 | cāverat, cārat1 | cāverāmus, cārāmus1 | cāverātis, cārātis1 | cāverant, cārant1 | |
future perfect | cāverō, cārō1 | cāveris, cāris1 | cāverit, cārit1 | cāverimus, cārimus1 | cāveritis, cāritis1 | cāverint, cārint1 | |
passive | present | caveor | cavēris, cavēre | cavētur | cavēmur | cavēminī | caventur |
imperfect | cavēbar | cavēbāris, cavēbāre | cavēbātur | cavēbāmur | cavēbāminī | cavēbantur | |
future | cavēbor | cavēberis, cavēbere | cavēbitur | cavēbimur | cavēbiminī | cavēbuntur | |
perfect | cautus + present active indicative of sum | ||||||
pluperfect | cautus + imperfect active indicative of sum | ||||||
future perfect | cautus + future active indicative of sum | ||||||
subjunctive | singular | plural | |||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
active | present | caveam | caveās | caveat | caveāmus | caveātis | caveant |
imperfect | cavērem | cavērēs | cavēret | cavērēmus | cavērētis | cavērent | |
perfect | cāverim, cārim1 | cāverīs, cārīs1 | cāverit, cārit1 | cāverīmus, cārīmus1 | cāverītis, cārītis1 | cāverint, cārint1 | |
pluperfect | cāvissem, cāssem1 | cāvissēs, cāssēs1 | cāvisset, cāsset1 | cāvissēmus, cāssēmus1 | cāvissētis, cāssētis1 | cāvissent, cāssent1 | |
passive | present | cavear | caveāris, caveāre | caveātur | caveāmur | caveāminī | caveantur |
imperfect | cavērer | cavērēris, cavērēre | cavērētur | cavērēmur | cavērēminī | cavērentur | |
perfect | cautus + present active subjunctive of sum | ||||||
pluperfect | cautus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum | ||||||
imperative | singular | plural | |||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
active | present | — | cavē | — | — | cavēte | — |
future | — | cavētō | cavētō | — | cavētōte | caventō | |
passive | present | — | cavēre | — | — | cavēminī | — |
future | — | cavētor | cavētor | — | — | caventor | |
non-finite forms | active | passive | |||||
present | perfect | future | present | perfect | future | ||
infinitives | cavēre | cāvisse, cāsse1 | cautūrum esse | cavērī | cautum esse | cautum īrī | |
participles | cavēns | — | cautūrus | — | cautus | cavendus | |
verbal nouns | gerund | supine | |||||
genitive | dative | accusative | ablative | accusative | ablative | ||
cavendī | cavendō | cavendum | cavendō | cautum | cautū |
1At least one rare poetic syncopated perfect form is attested.
Derived terms
- cautē
- cautēla
- cautim
- cautiō
- cautor
- cautulus
- cautus
- praecaveō
Related terms
- cautionalis
- cautulus
- incaute
- incautela
- incautus
- percautus
- praecatus
- praecautio
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)