'debt-cautious' originates from the combination of 'debt' and 'cautious', where 'debt' refers to money owed and 'cautious' means being careful to avoid potential problems.

'debt' comes from the Old French word 'dette', which evolved from the Latin 'debitum', meaning 'something owed'. 'Cautious' comes from the Latin 'cautus', meaning 'careful'.

Initially, 'debt' meant 'something owed', and 'cautious' meant 'careful'. Together, they evolved to mean being careful about incurring debt.