Precautioned

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Being forewarned or alerted about potential dangers or risks
2. Taking preemptive measures to avoid adverse situations or outcomes
3. Exercising caution based on previous experiences or knowledge of possible threats

Etymology: "Precautioned" is the past tense and past participle of "precaution," used as a verb meaning to guard against possible harm in advance. Its history is really the history of its parent word, which the English language built from two Latin pieces: "prae," meaning "before," and "cavere," meaning "be on one's guard." Together they formed "praecavere," meaning to guard against something beforehand, and its past participle "praecautum" gave rise to the Latin noun "praecautio." That noun passed into French as "précaution," and English took it from there. The Latin root "cavere" is also the source of the English "caution," so the two words are close relatives: "precaution" is essentially "caution" with a forward-looking prefix added, a guard set up before the danger arrives rather than during it.

Synonyms: warned, cautioned, forewarned, advised, alerted

Antonyms: unwarned, unsuspecting, unprepared, ignorant, careless