cause

Pronunciation

• IPA: /koz/^[1]

Forms

cause f (plural causes)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin causa (“reason, motive; lawsuit, case”).^{[2][3][4][5][6][1]} The Latin word is of unknown origin, perhaps pre-Latin or borrowed; the sense “motive” seems older than the legal sense “interest of a party, case”, and in law it was modelled on Ancient Greek αἰτία (aitía).^[3] Often joined with “res” “matter”, “causa” gradually came to mean “thing” itself, whence the inherited doublet chose.^[3][1][7] The same word is behind accuser, excuser and récuser.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1120 in the Cambridge Psalter, in fere la cause de “to take up someone's case, do them justice”; about 1165–1170 Benoît de Sainte-Maure uses it for a lawsuit.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The legal sense gave many phrases: être en cause and mettre en cause (1718), donner gain de cause (1796–1797), en désespoir de cause (about 1820) and hors de cause.^[2][3] After Latin “a person's interests”, it came to mean a cause one supports (Pathelin, 1465), with cause perdue (late 15th century), prendre fait et cause, faire cause commune (1787) and les besoins de la cause.^[2][3]

The sense “motive, reason” is a Latinism of about 1170, with être cause de (1174), à cause de (1348) and pour cause de (1803); à cause que “because”, replaced by parce que in Europe, survives in Canada.^[3] The philosophical “that which produces an effect” is in Oresme (about 1370), and cause efficiente from 1541.^[3][8] The verb causer “to cause” dates from about 1271.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1120 – Fere la cause de in the Cambridge Psalter.^[2]
• 1165–1170 – “Lawsuit”, in Benoît de Sainte-Maure.^[2]
• c. 1170 – “Reason, motive”.^[3]
• 1348 – À cause de.^[3]
• c. 1370 – Philosophical cause, in Oresme.^[3]
• 1465 – “Someone's interests”, in Pathelin.^[2]
• 1718 – Mettre en cause, in the Académie dictionary.^[2]
• 1787 – Faire cause commune, in Mme de Staël.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A cause, reason: la cause de l'accident, à cause de: because of.^[9][1]
2. (philosophy) That which produces an effect: cause première, cause finale.^[8]
3. (law) A case, lawsuit: plaider une cause, en cause: at issue.^[1][2]
4. A cause one supports: une cause perdue, faire cause commune.^[2][3]
5. Et pour cause: and with good reason, en connaissance de cause: knowingly.^[1][10]

Word family

• causer
• causal
• causalité

Related words

• chose
• accuser
• excuser
• récuser
• Latin causa

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 542a
7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF