a. Obs. or arch. Also 6–7 cautilous, 7– -ulous. [a. F. cauteleux (Pr. cautelos, Sp. cauteloso), on L. type *cautēlōsus, f. cautēla; see prec. and -OUS.]
1. Full of cautels; deceitful, crafty, artful, wily.
138[?]. Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. I. 223. Ypocritis ben cautellous for to take men in wordis.
c. 1430. Henryson, Mor. Fab., 16. The Foxe seemes craftie and cautelous.
1509. Barclay, Ship of Fooles (1570), 13. By falshood liuing, and by wayes cautelous.
1607. Shaks., Cor., IV. i. 33. Your Sonne … caught With cautelous baits and practice.
1661. Morgan, Sph. Gentry, II. iii. 36. An Adder, or Snake by the way side signifying his cautulous devises and deceivable Policies.
1840. Browning, Sordello, IV. 364. Cautelous Old Redbeard.
2. Cautious, wary, heedful, circumspect.
1574. Hellowes, Gueuara’s Fam. Ep. (1584), 308. I doe … approve, that men with their wives be cautelous.
1612. Woodall, Surg. Mate, Wks. (1653), 239. That they be exceeding cautelous and warie in the inward use of all Mineral medicines.
a. 1734. North, Lives, III. 52. This makes all dealing with them very nice and cautelous.
1829. Scott, Hrt. Midl., Proleg. I have been cautelous in quoting mine authorities.
b. Const. of, inf., or clause.
1625. King’s Instr. E. Drummond, in Rushw., Hist. Coll. (1659), I. 162. You must be cautelous not to proceed any further in this business.
1628. Feltham, Resolves, I. xxiii. Wks. (1677), 48. In any matters of weighty commerce, they will study how to be more cautelous of him, than they would of an unesteemed man.
1639. R. Verney, in V. Papers (1853), 225. They are very cautelous how they let any thinge of this nature passe.
1670. Baxter, Cure Ch.-Div., 343. To be cautelous what wife we choose.
a. 1677. Barrow, Serm., Wks. 1716, I. 283. We are to be cautelous of meddling with controversies.
