caveat emptor
UK /ˈkeɪ.viˌæt ˈɛmp.tɔ(ɹ)/ · US /ˈkæv.iˌɑt ˈɛmp.tɔɹ/ phrase
- phrase Used as a warning to anyone purchasing something that there may be unforeseen problems or faults with the item that is purchased.
- phrase (historical, commercial law) 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 (“to beware”) + ēmptor (“buyer”).
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “caveat emptor”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details