English

cause

/kɔːz/
The source of, or reason for, an event or action; that which produces or effects a result.

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    Origin

    * 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.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishcause
      • derivedOld Frenchcause “a cause, a thing”
        • derivedLatincausa “cause, reason, account, lawsuit”
          • derivedProto-Italic*kaussā
      • inheritedMiddle Englishcausen
        • derivedOld Frenchcauser
          • derivedMedieval Latincausāre

    Related: English chose (doublet)

    Words built on it: by-cause

    Sources