I.a guarding or taking care of one's self, wariness, precaution, caution, heedfulness, circumspection, εὐλάβεια (besides the comic poets, mostly in Cic.).
I. 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.—
b. (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).—
c. Res cautionem habet.
(β).
The matter admits of caution, Cic. Fam. 11, 21, 3.—
II. 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.
