caveat emptor
noun · n
Simple meaning
A commercial principle that without a warranty the buyer takes upon himself the risk of quality.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kayveeatehmpterSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkeɪviæˈtɛmptɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A commercial principle that without a warranty the buyer takes upon himself the risk of quality
n
(from caveat, "may he/she beware", a subjunctive form of cavēre, "to beware" + ēmptor, "buyer") Latin for "Let the buyer beware".
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A commercial principle that without a warranty the buyer takes upon himself the risk of quality
Used this way, caveat emptor is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in ethics or values contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Ethics/values
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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