LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbsecond conjugation

praecaveō

praecaveō (present infinitive praecavēre, perfect active praecāvī, supine praecautum)
Classical[prae̯ˈka.we.oː]Ecclesiastical[preˈkaː.ve.o]

Meaning

  1. transitiveto guard against (beforehand), seek to avert or prevent
  2. intransitiveto take care or heed, take precautions, beware; to be on one’s guard
    PAMPHILUS: Hei mihi, / cum nōn habeō spatium ut dē tē sūmam supplicium ut volō! / Namque hōc tempūs praecavēre mihi mē, haud tē ulcīscī sinit!PAMPHILUS: Alas for me, when I don’t have the time to exact a punishment from you as I intend! For in this moment I am permitted [only] to take precautions for me myself, not to get revenge on you!166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 622–624

Conjugation conjugation 2

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.praecaveōpraecavēbampraecavēbōpraecāvīpraecāverampraecāverō
2nd sg.praecavēspraecavēbāspraecavēbispraecāvistīpraecāverāspraecāveris
3rd sg.praecavetpraecavēbatpraecavēbitpraecāvitpraecāveratpraecāverit
1st pl.praecavēmuspraecavēbāmuspraecavēbimuspraecāvimuspraecāverāmuspraecāverimus
2nd pl.praecavētispraecavēbātispraecavēbitispraecāvistispraecāverātispraecāveritis
3rd pl.praecaventpraecavēbantpraecavēbuntpraecāvērunt
praecāvēre		praecāverantpraecāverint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.praecaveampraecavērempraecāverimpraecāvissem
2nd sg.praecaveāspraecavērēspraecāverīspraecāvissēs
3rd sg.praecaveatpraecavēretpraecāveritpraecāvisset
1st pl.praecaveāmuspraecavērēmuspraecāverīmuspraecāvissēmus
2nd pl.praecaveātispraecavērētispraecāverītispraecāvissētis
3rd pl.praecaveantpraecavērentpraecāverintpraecāvissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.praecaveorpraecavēbarpraecavēbor
2nd sg.praecavēris
praecavēre		praecavēbāris
praecavēbāre		praecavēberis
praecavēbere
3rd sg.praecavēturpraecavēbāturpraecavēbitur
1st pl.praecavēmurpraecavēbāmurpraecavēbimur
2nd pl.praecavēminīpraecavēbāminīpraecavēbiminī
3rd pl.praecaventurpraecavēbanturpraecavēbuntur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.praecavearpraecavērer
2nd sg.praecaveāris
praecaveāre		praecavērēris
praecavērēre
3rd sg.praecaveāturpraecavērētur
1st pl.praecaveāmurpraecavērēmur
2nd pl.praecaveāminīpraecavērēminī
3rd pl.praecaveanturpraecavērentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.praecavēpraecavēre
pres. 2nd pl.praecavētepraecavēminī
fut. 2nd sg.praecavētōpraecavētor
fut. 3rd sg.praecavētōpraecavētor
fut. 2nd pl.praecavētōte—
fut. 3rd pl.praecaventōpraecaventor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivepraecavērepraecavērī
perfect infinitivepraecāvissepraecautum esse
future infinitivepraecautūrum essepraecautum īrī
present participlepraecavēns—
perfect participle—praecautus
praecauta, praecautā, praecautae, praecautam, praecautārum, praecautās, praecaute, praecautī, praecautīs, praecautō, praecautōrum, praecautōs
future participlepraecautūrus
praecautūra, praecautūrā, praecautūrae, praecautūram, praecautūrārum, praecautūrās, praecautūre, praecautūrī, praecautūrīs, praecautūrō, praecautūrōrum, praecautūrōs, praecautūrum		praecavendus
praecavenda, praecavendā, praecavendae, praecavendam, praecavendārum, praecavendās, praecavende, praecavendīs, praecavendōrum, praecavendōs
gerundpraecavendī, praecavendō, praecavendumsupinepraecautum, praecautū

prae-căvĕo, cāvi, cautum, 2, v. a. and n.,
I. to guard against beforehand.
I. Act., to guard against, seek to avert, obviate, or prevent (class.; syn. provideo): illud praecavendum est mihi, Plaut. Men. 5, 2, 107: peccata, quae difficillime praecaventur, Cic. Rosc. Am. 40, 116: quod a me ita praecautum atque ita provisum est, id. Att. 2, 1, 6: ita mihi res tota provisa atque praecauta est, ut, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 42, § 91: venena, Suet. Calig. 23: injurias, Gell. 7, 3, 41: malam diem, Vulg. Eccl. 7, 15.—
II. Neutr., to take care or heed, to use precaution, to be on one's guard, to beware (class.): ferae, quibus abest ad praecavendum intellegendi astutia, Pac. ap. Cic. Fin. 5, 11, 31 (Trag. Rel. p. 103 Rib.); Plaut. Truc. 2, 5, 21: providentem ante et praecaventem, Cic. Planc. 22, 53: praecaventibus fatis, Vell. 2, 12, 1: ab insidiis, to guard against, Liv. 9, 17.— With ne: id ne accideret, magnopere sibi praecavendum Caesar existimabat, Caes. B. G. 1, 38, 2; cf.: satis undique provisum atque praecautum est, ne, etc., Liv. 36, 17, 12: cum videtur praecaveri potuisse, si provisum esset, Cic. Tusc. 3, 22, 52; cf. id. Inv. 2, 32, 99.—With dat., to provide for, take precautions for one's safety: sibi, Ter. And. 3, 5, 18.—In part. perf.: sed praecauto'st opus, ne, etc., there is need of caution, Plaut. Merc. 2, 2, 61.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*préh₂i?
  4. Proto-Italic*prai
  5. Proto-Italic*prai-
  6. Latinpraecaveō

Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *(s)kowh₁éyeti Proto-Italic *kaweō Latin caveō Latin praecaveō From prae- + caveō (“avoid, take care”).

Descendants
  • Portugueseprecaver
  • Spanishprecaver
  • Galicianprecaver

In English words that came into English from praecaveō

  • precautionpraecautio

Quick answers

What does praecaveō mean in Latin?
praecaveō, a verb, means “to guard against (beforehand), seek to avert or prevent; to take care or heed, take precautions, beware; to be on one’s guard”.
What are the principal parts of praecaveō?
praecaveō, praecavēre, praecāvī, praecautum (second conjugation).
How do you pronounce praecaveō?
In classical Latin, [prae̯ˈka.we.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [preˈkaː.ve.o].
Where does praecaveō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *per- → Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- → Proto-Indo-European *préh₂i? → Proto-Italic *prai → Proto-Italic *prai- → Latin praecaveō.