Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “'cause” come from?

'cause (English) comes from Middle English cause, from Old French cause, from Latin causa, from Old Latin caussa, from Proto-Indo-European kawd-teh₂.

Ancestry of “'cause”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcausecause
2Old Frenchcausecause
3Latincausacause, reason; case, claim, contention; motive,...
4Old Latincaussacause, reason, purpose; case, claim; Archaic form...
5Proto-Indo-Europeankawd-teh₂—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kawd-teh₂ →