incaution

C2+ Topic:Safety & Risk

US /ɪnˈkɔʃən/ UK /ɪnˈkɔːʃən/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
lack of caution; carelessness

A single act of incaution near the cliff edge nearly cost him his life.

Etymology

From in- ('not') + caution, from Latin cautio ('caution, wariness'), from cautus, past participle of cavere ('to beware, take care').

cautio Latin cavere Latin

View etymology graph ->

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Safety & Risk Word Formation & Derivatives

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# incaution

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɪnˈkɔʃən/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪnˈkɔːʃən/

## Meanings
1. lack of caution; carelessness

## Examples
- A single act of incaution near the cliff edge nearly cost him his life.

## Synonyms
- carelessness
- rashness
- recklessness
- heedlessness
- imprudence
- negligence

## Antonyms
- caution
- care
- prudence
- wariness

## Related Forms
- incautious
- caution
- cautious

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: cautio
- Root: cavere

## Etymology
From in- ('not') + caution, from Latin cautio ('caution, wariness'), from cautus, past participle of cavere ('to beware, take care').

## AI Etymology
incaution comes from in- ('not') + caution, from Latin cautio ('caution, wariness'), from cautus, past participle of cavere ('to beware, take care'). Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the noun sense is "lack of caution; carelessness", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as incautious, caution, and cautious. Its semantic neighborhood includes carelessness, rashness, recklessness, and heedlessness, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin cautio and Latin cavere.

## Topics
- Safety & Risk
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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