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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
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]
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