Added 1 October 2026
cause
/kɔːz/ noun
In Latin: causa, ratiō Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about cause at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something.
they are trying to determine the cause of the crash
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A justification for something existing or happening.
he had no cause to complain
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A series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end.
he supported populist campaigns
verb
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, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)