# caveat emptor

> English word · Phrase · IPA /ˈkeɪ.viˌæt ˈɛmp.tɔ(ɹ)/

## Definitions
1. Used as a warning to anyone purchasing something that there may be unforeseen problems or faults with the item that is purchased.
2. A provision of Roman law which gave the seller of a house the legal right to keep quiet about any defects of the house.

## Etymology
Latin for “buyer beware”; from Latin caveat (“may he / she / subject-noun beware”), the third-person subjunctive of caveō (“I beware”) + ēmptor (“buyer”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/caveat-emptor