Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “cause” come from?

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

cause (Middle English): cause

Definitions

  1. cause

Ancestry of “cause”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchcausecause
2Latincausacause, reason; case, claim, contention; motive,...
3Old Latincaussacause, reason, purpose; case, claim; Archaic form...
4Proto-Indo-Europeankawd-teh₂—

Words derived from “cause”

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