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causatio

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word causatio

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 165 Aulus Gellius More words from the 2nd century
Ultimate origin
Latin causa
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin causa
French chose
Italian cosa
Spanish cosa
English cause
French cause
Italian causa
Latin causor
French causer
Latin causātiō
English causation
From the same root
Latin accūsō ← causa
Latin causālis ← causa
Latin causidicus ← causa
Latin causō ← causa
Latin excūsō ← causa
Latin incūsō ← causa
Latin recūsō ← causa
Spanish acusar ← causa
Italian coso ← cosa
Italian qualcosa ← cosa
English because ← cause

Forms

causātiō f (genitive causātiōnis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin causor (“to plead as an excuse”) + -tiō, a noun of action from the verb,[2] itself from causa (“cause”).[3][4] The TLL also records the spelling ⟨caussatio⟩.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is postclassical.[3] Aulus Gellius has it of the plea of a sick body, aegri corporis causatio.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

Its main sense was a pretext, excuse or plea,[2][3] used by Tertullian and in the Theodosian Code;[3] Ammianus Marcellinus has it for a delay.[5] Palladius used it for an ailment.[3]

In Medieval Latin it became a legal word: a complaint, a reproof, an accusation or claim, a lawsuit, and legal proceedings.[6] Köbler lists it in the Germanic law codes (of the Bavarians, Burgundians, Lombards and Visigoths) and in the formulae.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 165 AD – Aulus Gellius writes of the excuse of a sick body.[3][4]
  • c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it for a pretext.[3][4]
  • end of 4th / beginning of 5th century AD – Palladius uses it for an ailment.[3][4]
  • 438 AD – The Theodosian Code uses it of a plea.[3][4]
  • Middle Ages – It means a complaint, accusation or lawsuit.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A plea, excuse, pretext.[2][3]
  2. (Late Latin) An ailment.[3]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A complaint; a reproof.[6]
  4. (Medieval Latin, law) An accusation, charge or claim; a lawsuit; legal proceedings.[6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  6. ^ a b c d Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
Cite this entry

“Causatio.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/causatio. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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