Word definition: cause

Etimology


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.

noun


cause (countable and uncountable, plural causes)

(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.

(uncountable, especially with for and a bare noun) Sufficient reason.

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

(obsolete) Sake; interest; advantage.

(countable, obsolete) Any subject of discussion or debate; a matter; an affair.

(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.

Examples


Synonyms: see Thesaurus:cause

Antonyms: effect; see also Thesaurus:cause

They identified a burst pipe as the cause of the flooding.

We thanke you both, yet one but flatters vs,As well appeareth by the cauſe you come,Namely, to appeale each other of high treaſon.

He was thinking; but the glory of the song, the swell from the great organ, the clustered lights, […] , the height and vastness of this noble fane, its antiquity and its strength—all these things seemed to have their part as causes of the thrilling emotion that accompanied his thoughts.

Synonyms: grounds, justification

There is no cause for alarm.

The end of the war was a cause for celebration.

He has no cause to do that.

Synonyms: see Thesaurus:goal

God befriend us, as our cause is just.

The part they take against me is from zeal to the cause.

I'm not fighting for anything anymore, except myself. I'm the only cause I'm interested in.

There is much to regret about America's failure in Vietnam. The reasons are etched in black marble on the Washington Mall. But we had believed the cause that America had asked us to serve in Vietnam was a worthy one, and millions who defended it had done so honorably.

"I thought you were loyal to the cause, Paul."“I was,” Grayson answered. “Then I saw the kind of people who share your vision, and I had a change of heart.”

I did it not for his cause.

What counsel give you in this weighty cause?

verb


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

(transitive) To set off an event or action.

(ditransitive) To actively produce as a result, by means of force or authority.

(obsolete) To assign or show cause; to give a reason; to make excuse.

Examples


The lightning caused thunder.

Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. […] She put back a truant curl from her forehead where it had sought egress to the world, and looked him full in the face now, drawing a deep breath which caused the round of her bosom to lift the lace at her throat.

An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Such devices mimic […] real kidneys […]. But they are nothing like as efficient, and can cause bleeding, clotting and infection—not to mention inconvenience for patients, who typically need to be hooked up to one three times a week for hours at a time.

His dogged determination caused the fundraising to be successful.

I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days.

And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them. Soft heartedness caused more harm than good.

He, to shifte their curious request, / Gan causen why she could not come in place.

conjunction


cause

Alternative form of 'cause; because

Data provided by Wiktionary