Etymology

careful

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Today it means: Taking care; attentive to potential danger, error or harm; cautious. Full definition →

Middle English careful ← Old English carful
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The story

  1. Old English · inherited fromcarful
  2. Middle English · inherited fromcareful
  3. English todaycareful

From Middle English careful, from Old English carful; equivalent to care + -ful.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.