cautĭo | cauĭtĭo (noun F) : (old uncontr. form , acc. to Paul. ex Fest. p. 61 Müll.), , caveo
* A guarding or taking care of one's self, wariness, precaution, caution, heedfulness, circumspection, εὐλάβεια (besides the comic poets, mostly in Cic.).
* In gen.: a malis natură declinamus: quae declinatio, si cum ratione fiet, cautio appelletur; quae autem sine ratione, nominetur metus,Cic. Tusc. 4, 6, 13: cautio et timiditas,id. de Or. 2, 74, 300: omnium horum vitiorum atque incommodorum una cautio est atque una provisio, ut ne,id. Lael. 21, 78: cautio ac diligentia,id. Font. 1, 2; id. Att. 1, 19, 8; initium suspitionis et cautionis et diligentiae,id. Fam. 9, 24, 1.
* (Mihi) cautio est = cavendum est, caution is necessary (a colloquial phrase), Plaut. Bacch. 4, 2, 15; id. Poen. 1, 3, 36; id. Ps. 1, 2, 38; Ter. And. 2, 3, 26; id. Ad. 3, 3, 67: mea cautio est,I must see to it,Cic. Att. 5, 4, 4 (al. captio).
* T. t., in law, that by which one places himself or another in safety, an obligation, security, bond, warranty, Uail (written or oral): quoniam vestrae cautiones infirmae sunt, Graeculam tibi misi cautionem chirographi mei, Cic. Fam. 7, 18, 1; v. such a written bond in Dig. 12, 1, 40: prolatis cautionibus,Sen. Ben. 3, 7, 7: cavere,Dig. 46, 8, 6: offerre,ib. 40, 4, 50: interponere,ib. 44, 1, 11: cautionem praebere alicui indemnitatis,ib. 3, 5, 30 et saep.—With acc. and inf., Suet. Aug. 98.—Of an oral warranty, pledge, Cic. Sest. 7, 15.
* The matter requires caution: habet multas cautiones,Cic. Off. 1, 14, 42.
* The matter admits of caution, Cic. Fam. 11, 21, 3.

s. TLL