cautĭo (old uncontr. form cauĭtĭo, acc. to Paul. ex Fest. p. 61 Müll.), ōnis, f. [caveo], 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. 400; id. Ad. 421: mea cautio est, I must see to it , Cic. Att. 5, 4, 4 (al. captio).—
c Res cautionem habet.
α The matter requires caution : habet multas cautiones, Cic. Off. 1, 14, 42.—
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.