Caveat....What is its proper use?

in my last unit at Ft Stewart, you could hear that said about 8-10 times in all meetings. I all for banning it, lol.

Yeah it sounds silly, but you know what they mean, so just laugh internally and go on about your day. That's what I do.

Well people abuse his word all the time. First off they use it as an adjective when it's a noun. You can't caveat something like you can't car or tree something. Second they seem to think it means to add on to what they or someone else had said, it does not. As others have said it's a warning/admonition. So properly used as an example: The roller coaster is fun, bu there should be a caveat for how scary it is.
This word is not the easiest to use in a sentence and is seldom called for. Officers should ban thier junior officers from using it just incase they are briefing a mildly educated group of enlisted.

Definition of CAVEAT

1
a : a warning enjoining one from certain acts or practices
b : an explanation to prevent misinterpretation
c : a modifying or cautionary detail to be considered when evaluating, interpreting, or doing something
2
: a legal warning to a judicial officer to suspend a proceeding until the opposition has a hearing
See caveat defined for English-language learners »
Examples of CAVEAT

His investment advice comes with a caveat: that the stock market is impossible to predict with absolute accuracy.
Sound great? There's just one caveat: Knowledge about how genes work is still in the scientific Stone Age. —Andrea Knox, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2000

Origin of CAVEAT

Latin, let him beware, from cavēre — more at hear
First Known Use: 1533
Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi
Rhymes with CAVEAT

acrobat, aerobat, aerostat, alley cat, apparat, Ararat, arrive at, assignat, autocrat, Automat, bell the cat, big brown bat, bureaucrat,

Yeah people in USAREC always want to "caveat what the commander just said.". I also hear "the caveat to that is it will be a successful event if we give 100%!"...how the hell is caveat=positive effect.

I asked my dad a retired Senior NCO this question a decade ago...
And Exactly as SSG Robin Rushlo put out. It has several meanings, so just as I read all the comments of this topic so far, I see that different comments explain based on a different meaning.

Now when an officer or an NCO puts out a statement or suspense, then asks...'Any Caveats'?
What they mean is;

With reference to the information I put out...Does anyone have a counter? Does anyone have a misunderstanding or need any clarification or have something to add?
Otherwise hold your peace.

Y'all rock...I really enjoy this Forum.

So with all of the bitching about why and what is being said right and wrong, what are your recommendations?

Do we need to enter into a discussion as to how Military language is slightly different than the English language? I can't say as I've ever witnessed its use as the definition states. Personally I cringe every time I hear someone pronounce cache wrong. (its cash, not cashay). I guess there are pet-peaves all around though.

Caveat basically is a warning or to take caution. The word itself is likely the most misused word in the military today.

If I remember my English vocabulary correctly - and no I'm not going to bother to look it up so someone tell me if I'm wrong - but the word "caveat" means to warn someone one of some specific stipulation. Ie, to caveat on the correct wearing of uniforms in public.

I do have to give a shout out to CPT Swartout, though, I have the same feelings about the term "piggy-back". Every week, we used to have a supervisor's meeting and we would hear that term by one CPO or the other after every person spoke