Word of the Day

Wednesday February 17, 2010

circumspect [SUR-kuhm-spekt]

adjective

Attentive to all circumstances and probable consequences; prudent; cautious.

Biden's insistence on "pushing back" against unfounded criticisms of the program was clearly part of Obama's post-Scott Brown offensive, and it's bracing that the administration has finally seen the wisdom of a Napoleon axiom that is a favorite of Karl Rove's: "The whole art of war consists in a well-reasoned and extremely circumspect defensive, followed by rapid and audacious attack."

EJ Dionne Jr, "Biden, off message and spot-on", The Washington Post, Feb 4, 2010
Johnny Mercer was a modest, circumspect fellow -- especially by Hollywood standards -- whose Southern manners rarely deserted him. As I rolled along, a police officer in a patrol car leaned out with directions to the Sentient Bean, a funky vegetarian cafe on East Park Avenue. Mercer's lyrics are known for jazz- and blues-influenced vernacular, and in the Bean, I was treated to a friendly, cross-cultural mix of people along with my spicy roll-up.

Jay Atkinson, "Gettin' a Glow On in Mercer's Savannah", New York Times, Jan 29, 2010
I considered that the strictest morals are necessarily required in a bishop. I felt myself the more obliged to be strictly circumspect as my uncle had been very disorderly and scandalous.

Jean Francois Paul de Gondi, Cardinal de Retz (1613 - 1679) A French churchman and writer of memoirs. Memoirs Of Jean Francois Paul De Gondi, Cardinal De Retz, Volume II (1717)

Origin of the Word

Circumspect, approximately 1400, derives from Latin circumspectus, past participle of circumspicere "look around, take heed," from circum- "around" + specere "to look."