• From Middle English cause (also with the sense of “a thing”), borrowed from Old French cause, borrowed from Latin causa, from itc-pro *kaussā, which is of unknown origin.
• From Middle English causen, Old French causer and Medieval Latin causāre.

• (RP) enPR: kôz, IPA: /kɔːz/, [kʰoːz̥]
• (America) IPA: /kɔz/, [kʰɒːz̥]
• (cot-caught) IPA: /ˈkɑz/

cause

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: Thesaurus:cause

   Antonyms: effect#Noun, Thesaurus:cause

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

   • 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act I, scene i], page 23 ↗, column 1:

     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.

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC ↗:

     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.

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

   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.

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

   Synonyms: Thesaurus:goal

   • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act V, scene i]:

     God befriend us, as our cause is just.

   • 1796, Edmund Burke, A Letter from the Right Honourable Edmund Burke to a Noble Lord, on the Attacks Made upon Him and His Pension, […], 10th edition, London: […] J. Owen, […], and F[rancis] and C[harles] Rivington, […], →OCLC ↗:

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

4. (obsolete) Sake; interest; advantage.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, 2 Corinthians 7:12 ↗:

     I did it not for his cause.

5. (countable, obsolete) Any subject of discussion or debate; a matter; an affair.
   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene i]:

     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.

• French: cause, raison
• German: Ursache, Anlass, Grund
• Italian: causa
• Portuguese: causa
• Russian: причи́на
• Spanish: causa

• French: cause
• German: Sache
• Italian: causa
• Portuguese: causa
• Russian: де́ло
• Spanish: causa

cause (causes, present participle causing; simple past and past participle caused)

1. (transitive) To set off an event or action; to bring about; to produce.

   The lightning caused thunder.

   • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC ↗:

     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.

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

   His dogged determination caused the fundraising to be successful.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Genesis 7:4 ↗:

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

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XIII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC ↗:

     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.

3. (obsolete) To assign or show cause; to give a reason; to make excuse.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC ↗:

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

• French: causer
• German: verursachen, auslösen
• Italian: provocare, causare
• Portuguese: causar
• Russian: причиня́ть
• Spanish: causar

• German: lassen
• Italian: produrre, ottenere
• Portuguese: causar, fazer

1. Alternative form of 'cause; because