Meaning

noun discretion in practical affairs

noun knowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress

originFrom 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;…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0