cause

English Online Dictionary. What means cause‎? What does cause mean?

English

Etymology

• From Middle English cause (also with the sense of “a thing”), borrowed from Old French cause (“a cause, a thing”), borrowed from Latin causa (“reason, sake, cause”), from Proto-Italic *kaussā, which is of unknown origin. Doublet of chose (“(law) a thing; personal property”). See accuse, excuse, recuse, ruse. Displaced native Old English intinga.
• From Middle English causen, Old French causer and Medieval Latin causāre.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kôz, IPA^(key): /kɔːz/, [kʰoːz̥]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /kɔz/, [kʰɒːz̥]
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑz/
• Homophones: caws, 'cause; cores (non-rhotic)
• Rhymes: -ɔːz

Noun

cause (countable and uncountable, plural causes)

1. (countable, often with of, typically of adverse results) The source of, or reason for, an event or action; that which produces or effects a result.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:cause

   Antonyms: effect; see also Thesaurus:cause
2. (uncountable, especially with for and a bare noun) Sufficient reason.

   Synonyms: grounds, justification

4. (countable) A goal, aim or principle, especially one which transcends purely selfish ends.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:goal
5. (obsolete) Sake; interest; advantage.
6. (countable, obsolete) Any subject of discussion or debate; a matter; an affair.
7. (countable, law) A suit or action in court; any legal process by which a party endeavors to obtain his claim, or what he regards as his right; case; ground of action.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• effect

Verb

cause (third-person singular simple present causes, present participle causing, simple past and past participle caused)

1. (transitive) To set off an event or action; to bring about; to produce.
2. (ditransitive) To actively produce as a result, by means of force or authority.
3. (obsolete) To assign or show cause; to give a reason; to make excuse.

Conjugation

Derived terms

Translations

Conjunction

cause

1. Alternative form of 'cause; because

See also

• cause célèbre

Further reading

• “cause”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “cause”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “cause”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• -sauce, Eacus, sauce

Asturian

Verb

cause

1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive of causar

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koz/
• Homophones: causent, causes

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old French cause, borrowed from Classical Latin causa. Compare chose, an inherited doublet.

Noun

cause f (plural causes)

1. cause

   Antonym: conséquence

2. (law) case (a legal proceeding)

Derived terms

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

cause

1. inflection of causer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Franco-Provençal: côsa

References

• “cause”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• sauce, sceau

Galician

Verb

cause

1. inflection of causar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Italian

Noun

cause f pl

1. plural of causa

Anagrams

• ucase

Middle English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French cause.

Noun

cause (plural causes)

1. cause
   • 14^th Century, Chaucer, General Prologue

     He knew the cause of everich maladye

     He knew the cause of every illness

Descendants

• English: cause

Norman

Etymology

From Old French cause, borrowed from Latin causa.

Noun

cause f (plural causes)

1. (Jersey, law) case

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin causa, whence the inherited chose.

Noun

cause oblique singular, f (oblique plural causes, nominative singular cause, nominative plural causes)

1. cause

Descendants

• → Middle English: cause
  • English: cause
• Middle French: cause
  • French: cause
• Norman: cause

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: (Brazil) -awzi, (Portugal) -awzɨ
• Hyphenation: cau‧se

Verb

cause

1. inflection of causar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkause/ [ˈkau̯.se]
• Rhymes: -ause
• Syllabification: cau‧se

Verb

cause

1. inflection of causar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative