caveat

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a warning, reservation, or qualification attached to a statement or agreement

   The report is persuasive, with the caveat that its sample was small.

2. 2
   noun

   a formal notice asking a court or public officer to suspend a proceeding until the filer is heard

   The heir filed a caveat against the probate of the disputed will.

A learned borrowing from Latin caveat, 'let him or her beware,' the third-person singular present subjunctive of cavere, 'to beware.' Its legal use developed from a notice requiring officials to take care before proceeding.

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