Prudence is careful good sense in avoiding risk. Financial prudence, a matter of prudence, act with prudence.
It is one of the four cardinal virtues, and it means practical wisdom about what to do rather than mere caution. In finance and government it is the standard word for not spending what you have not got, and it is used as praise and as an excuse alike.
1nounprudenceCareful good sense in avoiding risk.
“Her prudence with money meant she had savings when she lost her job.”
prudence is a virtue.
Latin prudentia is a contraction of providentia, foresight, from providere, to see ahead.
Proto-Indo-European
*per-
Proto-Indo-European
*weyd- — to see; to know
Latin
prūdentia — common sense; discretion, prudence; foresight; knowledge; providence; skilfulness; wisdom
Old French
prudence — common sense; wisdom
Middle French
prudence
Anglo-Norman
prudence
Middle English
prudence — discretion; foresight; knowledge; intelligence, wisdom; act of good judgment; wisdom to see what is virtuous
English, today
prudence
Built from
From Middle English prudence (“discretion; foresight; knowledge; intelligence, wisdom; act of good judgment; wisdom to see what is virtuous”), from Anglo-Norman prudence, Middle French prudence, and Old French prudence (“common sense; wisdom”) (modern French prudence), and from their etymon Latin prūdentia (“common sense; discretion, prudence; foresight; knowledge; providence; skilfulness; wisdom”), from prūdent- (the stem of prūdēns (“knowledgeable, skilful; wise, prudent”)) + -ia. Prūdēns is a contraction of prōvidēns (“caring for; foreseeing; providing”) (whence prōvidentia (“foreknowledge, foresight; forethought, precaution, providence”)), the present active participle of prōvideō (“to care for, look after; to foresee; to provide, see to”), from prō- + videō (“to perceive, see; to comprehend, understand; to look out for, care for”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weyd- (“to see; to know”)). a doublet of provide and purvey.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA