Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cause” come from?

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

cause (English): The source of, or reason for, an event or action;...

Definitions

  1. The source of, or reason for, an event or action;...

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—

Words derived from “cause”

  • causing
  • causation
  • causeth
  • causeless
  • causer
  • causelessly
  • causee
  • causest
  • causational
  • causelessness
  • causationist
  • causable
  • concause
  • forcause
  • subcause
  • causeful
  • by-cause
  • kaŭzo
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kawd-teh₂ →