circumspection
cir·cums·pec·tion
noun
1.
knowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress
- “the servants showed great tact and discretion”
2.
the trait of being circumspect and prudent
Origin
Inherited from Middle English circumspeccioun, from Middle French circonspection or its etymon Latin circumspectio. By surface analysis, circum- + Latin spect + -ion, "looking [all] around" (as compared with the opposite concept, embodied as tunnel vision or blinders).
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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.