Words / C / Law

caveat emptor

phrase/ˌkæviæt ˈemptɔː/

C1CEFR level
65/100Rarity: rare
TechnicalRegister

Let the buyer beware, the principle that a purchaser buys at their own risk absent a warranty.

The doctrine of caveat emptor placed the onus on the buyer to inspect the property before completion.

Similar: let the buyer beware

Topic: Legal Latin in Legal English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More law words: Legal Latin