A precaution is something you do in advance to prevent harm or trouble. It is a careful step taken to reduce risk before a problem happens.
“Precaution” comes from French *précaution*, from Latin *praecautio*, “a guarding beforehand,” from *praecavere*, “to guard against in advance.” The parts *prae-* (“before”) and *cavere* (“to beware”) show its forward-looking nature.
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