Word of the Day

: December 29, 2007

prudent

adjective PROO-dunt

What It Means

1 : marked by wisdom or judiciousness

2 : shrewd in the management of practical affairs

3 : cautious, discreet

4 : thrifty, frugal

prudent in Context

The lawyer offered several prudent suggestions.

Did You Know?

"Prudent" arrived in Middle English around the 14th century and traces back, by way of Middle French, to the Latin verb "providēre," meaning "to see ahead, foresee, provide (for)." "Providēre" combines "pro-," meaning "before," and "vidēre," meaning "to see," and it may look familiar to you; it is also the source of our "provide," "provident," "provision," and "improvise." "Vidēre" also has many English offspring, including "evident," "supervise," "video," and "vision."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.