The story
From over- + precaution.
First known use, by meaning
- 19th c. The tendency to exercise more caution than would be necessary.
- 19th c. An unnecessary safety measure.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
overprecaution
Today it means: The tendency to exercise more caution than would be necessary. Full definition →
First used 19th c.