different between vigilance vs precaution

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French vigilance, from Latin vigilantia

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?v?d??l?ns/
• (weak vowel merger) IPA^(key): /?v?d??l?ns/

Noun

vigilance (usually uncountable, plural vigilances)

1. Alert watchfulness.
2. Close and continuous attention.
   • 1837 March 4, Andrew Jackson, Farewell Address

     But you must remember, my fellow-citizens, that eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty, and that you must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing.

3. (obsolete) A guard; a person set to watch.

Derived terms

Related terms

• vigilant

Translations

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vigilantia; equivalent to vigile +? -ance

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vi.?i.l??s/
• Rhymes: -??s

Noun

vigilance f (plural vigilances)

1. vigilance

Further reading

• “vigilance” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

From French précaution, Latin praecautio, from praecavere, praecautum (“to guard against beforehand”); prae (“before”) + cavere (“be on one's guard”). See pre-, and caution.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p?i??k????n/
• Hyphenation: pre?cau?tion

Noun

precaution (countable and uncountable, plural precautions)

1. Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent misfortune or to secure good
   • July 2, 1826, John Henry Newman, The Philosophical Temper, First Enjoined by the Gospel

     The ancient philosophers treasured up their supposed discoveries with miserable precaution.

2. A measure taken beforehand to ward off evil or secure good or success; a precautionary act.

   to take precautions against risks of accident

Derived terms

• precautionary

Translations

See also

• prevention

Verb

precaution (third-person singular simple present precautions, present participle precautioning, simple past and past participle precautioned)

1. (transitive) To warn or caution beforehand.
2. (transitive, rare) To take precaution against.

Translations

Anagrams

• preauction, unoperatic