cause

See also: 'cause and causé

Englisch

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English cause, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French cause (“a cause, a thing”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin causa (“reason, sake, cause”), in (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Medieval Latin also "a thing". Origin uncertain. See accuse, excuse. Displaced native Middle English sake (“cause, reason”) (from Old English sacu (“cause”)), Middle English andweorc, andwork (“matter, cause”) (from Old English andweorc (“matter, thing, cause”)).

Pronunciation

• enPR: kôz, (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): /kɔːz/, [kʰo̞z]
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): /kɔz/, [kʰɒz], [kʰɑ̟z] (In accents with the cot-caught merger)
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter)

  Audio (US):

  (file)

• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) Rhymes: -ɔːz
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) Homophones: caws, 'cause; cores (non-rhotic dialects)
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) Rhymes: -ɑːz

Nomen

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.

   They identified a burst pipe as the cause of the flooding.
2. (uncountable, especially with for and a bare noun) Sufficient reason for a state, as of emotion.

   There is no cause for alarm.

   The end of the war was a cause for celebration.

3. (countable) A goal, aim oder principle, especially one which transcends purely selfish ends.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare

     God befriend us, as our cause is just.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Burke

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

4. (obsolete) Sake; interest; advantage.
   • Bible, 2 Corinthians vii. 12

     I did it not for his cause.

5. (countable, obsolete) Any subject of discussion or debate; a matter; an affair.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare

     What counsel give you in this weighty cause?

6. (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.

Synonyms

• (source or reason): reason, source

Derived terms

Terms derived from cause (noun)

• because
• causal
• causality
• causative
• cause and effect
• cause celebre
• causeless
• common cause
• efficient cause
• external cause

• final cause
• first cause
• for cause (law)
• formal cause
• good cause
• just cause
• lost cause
• make common cause
• material cause

• probable cause
• proximate cause
• root cause
• show cause
• style of cause
• subcause
• with cause
• without cause

Translations

source or reason of an event or action

• Afrikaans: laat
• Arabic: سَبَب m (sabab)
• Armenian: պատճառ (hy) (patčaṙ)
• Azeri: səbəb (az)
• Bashkir: сәбәп (səbəp)
• Belarusian: прычы́на f (pryčýna)
• Bulgarian: причи́на (bg) f (pričína), по́вод (bg) m (póvod)
• Catalan: causa (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 原因 (zh) (yuányīn)

• Czech: příčina (cs) f
• Danish: årsag (da) c
• Dutch: oorzaak (nl) f, reden (nl) f, aanleiding (nl) f
• Esperanto: kaŭzo
• Estonian: alus (et)
• Finnish: syy (fi), juuri (fi), lähde (fi)
• French: cause (fr) f, raison (fr) f
• Georgian: მიზეზი (mizezi), საფუძველი (sapuʒveli)
• German: Ursache (de) f, Anlass (de) m, Grund (de) m
• Greek: αιτία (el) f (aitía), λόγος (el) m (lógos)
• Haitian Creole: lakòz
• Hebrew: סיבה \ סִבָּה f (sibá)
• Hindi: कारण (hi) m (kāraṇ)
• Icelandic: orsök (is) f
• Irish: réasún m

  Old Irish: accuis f

• Italian: causa (it) f
• Japanese: 原因 (ja) (gen'in)
• Kilivila: uula
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 원인 (ko) (wonin)
• Latin: causa (la) f, ratio (la) f
• Latvian: iemesls m, cēlonis m
• Lithuanian: priežastis (lt) m, pagrindas (lt) m
• Luxembourgish: Ursaach f
• Macedonian: при́чина f (príčina)
• Persian: سبب (fa) (sabab)
• Polish: przyczyna (pl) f
• Portuguese: causa (pt) f
• Romanian: cauză (ro) f
• Russian: причи́на (ru) f (pričína), основа́ние (ru) n (osnovánije)
• Sanskrit: हेतु (sa) m (hetu)
• Scottish Gaelic: adhbhar m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: разлог m, узрок m

  Roman: razlog (sh) m, ùzrok (sh) m

• Slovak: príčina f
• Slovene: vzrok m, razlog (sl) m
• Spanish: causa (es) f
• Swedish: orsak (sv) c, grund (sv) c
• Tajik: сабаб (tg) (sabab)
• Turkish: sebep (tr), neden (tr)
• Ukrainian: причи́на (uk) f (pryčýna)
• Uzbek: sabab (uz)
• Vietnamese: nguyên nhân (vi)
• Welsh: achos (cy) m
• Zulu: umsuka class 3/4

goal, aim, principle

• Bulgarian: кауза (bg) f (kauza)
• Catalan: causa (ca) f
• Danish: sag c
• Dutch: doel (nl)
• Estonian: ajend
• Finnish: syy (fi), tarkoitus (fi)
• French: cause (fr) f
• German: Sache (de) f
• Greek: σκοπός (el) m (skopós)
• Hebrew: מַטָּרָה (he) f (matará)
• Icelandic: málstaður m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: causa (it) f
• Latin: causa (la) f
• Portuguese: causa (pt) f
• Romanian: cauză (ro) f
• Russian: де́ло (ru) n (délo)
• Scottish Gaelic: adhbhar m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: stvar (sh) m, princip (sh) m, cȋlj (sh) m, svr̀ha (sh) f

• Slovene: stvar (sl) f
• Spanish: causa (es) f
• Welsh: achos (cy) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} kauzo (io)
• Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} årsak (no) m, ^{(please verify)} grunn (no) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} కారణము (te) (kāraṇamu)

See also

• effect

Verb

1. To set off an event or action.

   The lightning caused thunder.

   • Template:RQ:EHough PrqsPrc

     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.

   • Template:quote-magazine
2. To actively produce as a result, by means of force or authority.

   His dogged determination caused the fundraising to be successful.

   • Bible, Genesis vii.4

     I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days.
3. To assign or show cause; to give a reason; to make excuse.

   (Can we [[:Category:Requests for quotations/{{{2}}}|find and add]] a quotation of {{{2}}} to this entry?)

Derived terms

• causation
• causer

Translations

to set off an event or action

• Arabic: تَسَبَّبَ (tasabbaba)
• Bulgarian: причинявам (bg) (pričinjavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 使 (zh) (shǐ), ^{(please verify)} 使得 (zh) (shǐde), ^{(please verify)} 令 (zh) (lìng), ^{(please verify)} 惹 (zh) (rě)

• Czech: způsobit (cs), zapříčinit
• Danish: forårsage (da)
• Dutch: veroorzaken (nl)
• Esperanto: kaŭzi (eo)
• Estonian: põhjustama, tekitama
• Finnish: aiheuttaa (fi), saada aikaan (fi)
• French: causer (fr)
• Georgian: გამოწვევა (gamoc̣veva)
• German: verursachen (de), auslösen (de)
• Greek: προκαλώ (el) (prokaló)
• Hebrew: גרם (he) (garám)
• Icelandic: valda (is)
• Ido: igar (io), efektigar (io), kauzigar (io)
• Indonesian: menyebabkan (id)
• Italian: provocare (it), causare (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 原因となる (gen'in-to naru), 引き起こす (hikiokosu)
• Lojban:
• Maori: whakatae
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forårsake (no)

  Nynorsk: forårsake

• Portuguese: causar (pt)
• Romanian: cauza (ro), pricinui (ro)
• Russian: причиня́ть (ru) (pričinjátʹ), производи́ть (ru) (proizvodítʹ), заставля́ть (ru) (zastavljátʹ), вызыва́ть (ru) (vyzyvátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: adhbharaich
• Slovene: povzročiti
• Spanish: causar (es)
• Swedish: orsaka (sv), förorsaka (sv)
• Turkish: uğratmak (tr)
• Welsh: achosi (cy)

to produce as a result

• Bulgarian: предизвиквам (bg) (predizvikvam)
• Dutch: veroorzaken (nl)
• Georgian: წარმოშობა (c̣armošoba), წარმოქმნა (c̣armokmna)
• Indonesian: menyebabkan (id)
• Italian: produrre (it), ottenere (it)
• Latin: creo (la)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: causar (pt), fazer (pt)
• Scottish Gaelic: adhbharaich
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: póraś impf

• Welsh: achosi (cy)

Statistics

• Template:rank

External links

• “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

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Asturian

Verb

(deprecated template usage) cause

1. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) first-person singular present subjunctive of causar
2. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) third-person singular present subjunctive of causar

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from classical (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin causa. Compare chose.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koz/
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter)

  audio:

  (file)

Nomen

cause f (plural causes)

1. cause
2. case (a legal proceeding)

Derived terms

• à cause de

Verb

1. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) first-person singular present indicative of causer
2. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) third-person singular present indicative of causer
3. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) first-person singular present subjunctive of causer
4. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) third-person singular present subjunctive of causer
5. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) second-person singular imperative of causer

Anagrams

• sauce, sceau

External links

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

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Italian

Nomen

cause f pl

1. (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) plural of causa

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Middle English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French cause.

Nomen

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

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Norman

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin causa.

Nomen

cause f (plural causes)

1. (Jersey, law) case

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Old French

Nomen

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

1. cause

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Spanish

Verb

cause

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of causar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of causar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of causar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of causar.