Etymologically
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causa

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈkau̯.sa], [ˈkau̯.saː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkaːu̯.sa], [ˈkaːu̯.sa][1]

Forms

causa f (genitive causae); first declension[1] The older spelling caussa is found in inscriptions until the 1st century BC and was still used by Cicero and Virgil.[2][3]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.[2][1] The single /s/ between vowels points to an older double consonant, and Wiktionary reconstructs Proto-Italic *kaussā.[2][1] Walde and Hofmann took its first meaning to be “a blow” and connected it with cūdō “to strike”, and the OLD also thinks it probably related to that verb.[2][4][1] Ernout and Meillet doubted that it has an Indo-European origin.[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan finds it from the Laws of the Twelve Tables and Naevius onwards.[2] Plautus already uses the ablative after a genitive, Sosiae causa mea, “for Sosia's sake, for mine”.[4]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it was above all a word of the courts: a lawsuit or trial, the case of one side, and causam agere, to plead a cause.[4] It meant a plea or excuse, a ground or justification, and a motive, and in philosophy a cause or causal principle, as in Lucretius and Cicero.[4] It was also the origin or history of something, blame, ties of friendship, a medical case, a situation, and the subject of a speech or poem.[4] The ablative causā after a genitive meant “for the sake of”, as in rei gerundae causa, “for the conduct of affairs”.[4]

In Late Latin it came to mean simply “a thing”,[1] and Catalan charters speak of the causas of a church, its property.[5] Medieval law used it for a charge, an offence, a fine and the administration of justice.[6] With the meaning “thing” it survives as Italian and Spanish cosa, French chose and Portuguese coisa.[1] English cause came from French and Latin about 1200.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.[2][8]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses causā for “for the sake of”.[4][8]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it for a motive.[4][8]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it for lawsuits and for causes in philosophy.[4][8]
  • 807 – A Catalan charter uses it for things owned by a church.[5]
  • c. 1200 – English cause is first recorded.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (law) A lawsuit, trial, case.[4][9]
  2. The case or side of a party, causam agere to plead a cause.[4]
  3. A plea, excuse, pretext.[4][1]
  4. A ground, reason; a motive.[4][1]
  5. A cause; a causal principle.[4][1]
  6. An origin; the derivation (of a word).[4]
  7. Blame, responsibility.[4]
  8. Ties of friendship.[4]
  9. A medical case, symptoms.[4]
  10. A situation, circumstances.[4][1]
  11. A subject, theme.[4]
  12. causā (with genitive) For the sake of, because of.[4][1]
  13. (Late Latin) A thing.[1][5]
  14. (Medieval Latin) A charge; an offence; a fine.[6]

Word family

  • causālis
  • causārius
  • causidicus
  • causificor
  • causula
  • accūsō
  • causor
  • excūsō
  • incūsō
  • recūsō

Usage notes

Medieval jurists repeated the ancient derivation from cāsus “event, chance”.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c Glossarium Mediae Latinitatis Cataloniae (1960–; online ed. 2025), Barcelona: CSIC / Institució Milà i Fontanals, gmlc.imf.csic.es
  6. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  9. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  10. ^ Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften