Definition of "precaution"

precaution

/pɹiːˈkɔːʃən/

noun
countable and uncountable, plural precautions
1. Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent misfortune or to secure good
  Quotations
  The ancient philosophers treasured up their supposed discoveries with miserable precaution.
  July 2, 1826, John Henry Newman, The Philosophical Temper, First Enjoined by the Gospel
2. A measure taken beforehand to ward off evil or secure good or success; a precautionary act.
verb
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.