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Origin and history of careful

careful(adj.)

Old English cearful "mournful, sad," also "full of care or woe; anxious; full of concern" (for someone or something), thus "applying attention, painstaking, circumspect" (late Old English), the main modern sense; from care (n.) + -ful. In Middle English also "miserable, unfortunate," of persons or things; "causing fear, frightening, terrible." Careful-bed (early 14c.) was "sick-bed;" careful-day (c. 1200) was "judgment day."

Dragons dryfes doun
With kene carefull crie.
["The Wars of Alexander," c. 1400]

Entries linking to careful

care(n.)

Old English caru, cearu "sorrow, anxiety, grief," also "burdens of mind; serious mental attention," in late Old English also "concern, anxiety caused by apprehension of evil or the weight of many burdens," from Proto-Germanic *karō "lament; grief, care" (source also of Old Saxon kara "sorrow;" Old High German chara "wail, lament;" Gothic kara "sorrow, trouble, care;" German Karfreitag "Good Friday;" see care (v.)).

The meaning "charge, oversight, attention or heed with a view to safety or protection" is attested from c. 1400; this is the sense in care of in addressing (1840). The meaning "object or matter of concern" is from 1580s. To take care of "take in hand, do" is from 1580s; take care "be careful" also is from 1580s.

The primary sense is that of inward grief, and the word is not connected, either in sense or form, with L. cura, care, of which the primary sense is pains or trouble bestowed upon something. [Century Dictionary]
carefully(adv.)

Old English carfullice "sorrowfully;" see careful + -ly (2). The meaning "heedfully" is in late Old English.

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careless
Old English carleas "free from anxiety; unconcerned," from care (n.) + -less; a compound probably from Proto-Germanic (compare Old Norse kærulauss "quit, free"). The original recorded senses was extinct by mid-17c. (now in care-free); the main modern meaning "not paying attention
deliberate
early 15c., "done with careful consideration," from Latin deliberatus "resolved upon, determined," past participle of deliberare "consider carefully, consult," literally "weigh well," from de, here probably "entirely" (see de-) + -liberare, altered (probably by influence of liber
scrupulous
doubt," from Anglo-French scrupulus (Old French scrupulos, Modern French scrupuleux) and directly from Latin scrupulosus "careful...By 1540s as "careful to follow the dictates of conscience," hence, in non-moral matters, "exact, precise, rigorous, punctilious...
curiosity
late 14c., "careful attention to detail" (a sense now obsolete); also "skilled workmanship;" also "desire to know or learn...French curiosité), from Latin curiositatem (nominative curiositas) "desire of knowledge, inquisitiveness," from curiosus "careful...
discreet
discret "discreet, sensible, intelligent, wise," from Latin discretus "separated, distinct," in Medieval Latin "discerning, careful...Spellings discrete and nativized discreet co-existed until after c. 1600, when discreet became the common word for "careful...
religiosity
Latin religiositas "religiousness," from religiosus "pious, devout, reverencing or fearing the gods," also "religiously careful...
circumspection
late 14c., "careful observation of one's surroundings, attention to details and probable consequences" (with a view to choosing...
penny
English coin, Middle English peni, from Old English pening, penig, Northumbrian penning "penny," from Proto-Germanic *panninga- (source also of Old Norse penningr, Swedish pänning, Danish penge, Old Frisian panning, Old Saxon pending, Middle Dutch pennic, Dutch penning, Old High
memoir
early 15c., "written record," from Anglo-French memorie "note, memorandum, something written to be kept in mind" (early 15c., Old French memoire), from Latin memoria (from PIE root *(s)mer- (1) "to remember"). The more specific sense of "a notice or essay relating to something wi
patsy
"fall guy, victim of a deception," by 1903, of uncertain origin, possibly an alteration of Italian pazzo "madman" (see patch (n.2)), or south Italian dialectal paccio "fool." Another theory traces it to Patsy Bolivar, character created by Billy B. Van in an 1890s vaudeville skit

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