causa

See also: causá and causà

Asturian

Verb

causa

1. inflection of causar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

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Catalan

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /ˈkaw.zə/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈkaw.za/
• Rhymes: -a

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin causa. Doublet of the inherited cosa. Cognates include English cause, French cause, Italian causa, Portuguese causa, Spanish causa.

Noun

causa f (plural causes)

1. cause (the source of, the reason for)
2. (law) lawsuit

Derived terms

• a causa de
• causal
• causar

 

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

causa

1. third-person singular present indicative form of causar
2. second-person singular imperative form of causar

Further reading

• “causa” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

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Dalmatian

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *cosa, from Latin causa.

Noun

causa f

1. thing

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ko.za/

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophones: causas, causât

Verb

causa

1. third-person singular past historic of causer

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Interlingua

Noun

causa (plural causas)

1. cause (someone or something that causes a result)

Related terms

• causal

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Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaw.za/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin causa. Doublet of the inherited cosa. Cognates include English cause, French cause, Portuguese causa, Spanish causa.

Noun

causa f (plural cause)

1. cause
2. (law) lawsuit

   Synonym: lite

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

causa

1. inflection of causare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Derived terms

• a causa di
• causare

Related terms

• causale
• cosa

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Latin

Alternative forms

• caussa (used by Cicero and a little after him)

Etymology

From Old Latin caussa, from Proto-Italic *kaussā, further origin unknown, related to Etruscan 𐌂𐌀𐌅𐌔𐌀 (cavsa).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈkau̯.sa/, [ˈkäu̯s̠ä]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈkau̯.sa/, [ˈkäːu̯sä]

Noun

causa f (genitive causae); first declension

1. cause, reason

   qua de causa/qua de re/quam ob causam ― for this reason/therefore

2. (law) case, claim, contention
3. motive, reason, pretext, inducement, motivation
4. condition, occasion, situation, state
5. (figuratively) justification, explanation
6. (Medieval Latin) thing

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	causa	causae
Genitive	causae	causārum
Dative	causae	causīs
Accusative	causam	causās
Ablative	causā	causīs
Vocative	causa	causae

Derived terms

• accūsō
• causidicus
• causor
• causula
• excūsō
• incūsō
• recūsō

 

Postposition

causā (+ genitive)

1. for the sake of, on account of

   urbis causā ― for the sake of the city

Derived terms

• dicis causā
• in causā sum
• sine causā

 

Descendants

• Asturian: cosa, cousa
• → Basque: gauza
• Catalan: cosa; → causa
• → Czech: kauza
• Dalmatian: causa
• Franco-Provençal: chousa
• French: chose
  • → English: chose (law)
• → French: cause
  • → English: cause
  • → Romanian: cauză
• Friulian: cjosse, čhosse; → cause
• Ido: kauzo
• → Irish: cúis
• Italian: cosa; → causa
• Ladin: cossa
• Mozarabic: قاوْشة‎ (causa)
• Occitan: causa, chausa, còsa, cauva
• Old Portuguese: cousa
  • Galician: cousa
  • Portuguese: coisa, cousa
    • Kabuverdianu: kusa
    • Papiamentu: kousa
• Old Spanish: cosa
  • Ladino: koza
  • Spanish: cosa
• Picard: cose
• Portuguese: causa, causar
• Romansch: chaussa, caussa, tgossa, chosa
• Sardinian: cosa
• Sicilian: cosa
• → Spanish: causa
• Venetian: cosa
• Walloon: tchôze

References

• causa in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• causa in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• causa in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• causa in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • on the spur of the moment: temporis causa
    
  • to make not the slightest effort; not to stir a finger: manum non vertere alicuius rei causa
    
  • my position is considerably improved; my prospects are brighter: res meae meliore loco, in meliore causa sunt
    
  • my circumstances have not altered: eadem est causa mea or in eadem causa sum
    
  • to quote as a reason; give as excuse: causam afferre
    
  • for valid reasons: iustis de causis
    
  • cogent, decisive reasons: magnae (graves) necessariae causae
    
  • on good grounds; reasonably: non sine causa
    
  • how came it that...: quid causae fuit cur...?
    
  • the motive, cause, is to be found in..: causa posita est in aliqua re
    
  • the motive, cause, is to be found in..: causa repetenda est ab aliqua re (not quaerenda)
    
  • I was induced by several considerations to..: multae causae me impulerunt ad aliquid or ut...
    
  • to interpose, put forward an argument, a reason: causam interponere or interserere
    
  • to find a suitable pretext: causam idoneam nancisci
    
  • under the pretext, pretence of..: per causam (with Gen.)
    
  • cause and effect: causae rerum et consecutiones
    
  • extraneous causes: causae extrinsecus allatae (opp. in ipsa re positae)
    
  • concatenation, interdependence of causes: rerum causae aliae ex aliis nexae
    
  • to leave the question open; to refuse to commit oneself: integrum (causam integram) sibi reservare
    
  • to be favourably disposed towards: alicuius causa velle or cupere
    
  • to speak of some one respectfully: honoris causa aliquem nominare or appellare
    
  • for one's own diversion; to satisfy a whim: voluptatis or animi causa (B. G. 5. 12)
    
  • in memory of..: memoriae causa, ad (not in) memoriam (Brut. 16. 62)
    
  • to cite a person or a thing as an example: aliquem (aliquid) exempli causa ponere, proferre, nominare, commemorare
    
  • a digression, episode: quod ornandi causa additum est
    
  • for political reasons: rei publicae causa (Sest. 47. 101)
    
  • to embrace the cause of..., be a partisan of..: alicuius partes (causam) or simply aliquem sequi
    
  • the aristocracy (as a party in politics): boni cives, optimi, optimates, also simply boni (opp. improbi); illi, qui optimatium causam agunt
    
  • to take up the cause of the people, democratic principles: causam popularem suscipere or defendere
    
  • to be a leading spirit of the popular cause: populi causam agere
    
  • to hold an inquiry into a matter: aliquid, causam cognoscere
    
  • without any examination: incognita causa (cf. sect. XV. 3, indicta causa)
    
  • a civil case: causa privata
    
  • a criminal case: causa publica (Brut. 48. 178)
    
  • to conduct a person's case (said of an agent, solicitor): causam alicuius agere (apud iudicem)
    
  • to address the court (of the advocate): causam dicere, orare (Brut. 12. 47)
    
  • to defend oneself before the judge (of the accused): causam dicere
    
  • to defend a person: causam dicere pro aliquo
    
  • to conduct some one's defence in a case: causam alicuius defendere
    
  • to have a good case: causam optimam habere (Lig. 4. 10)
    
  • to gain a weak case by clever pleading: causam inferiorem dicendo reddere superiorem (λόγον κρείττω ποιειν) (Brut. 8. 30)
    
  • counsel; advocate: patronus (causae) (De Or. 2. 69)
    
  • to undertake a case: causam suscipere
    
  • to undertake a case: ad causam aggredi or accedere
    
  • without going to law: indicta causa (opp. cognita causa)
    
  • to win a case: causam or litem obtinere
    
  • to lose one's case: causam or litem amittere, perdere
    
  • to decide on the conduct of the case: iudicare causam (de aliqua re)
    
• Dizionario Latino, Olivetti

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Occitan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkawzo]

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Latin causa.

Noun

causa f (plural causas)

1. cause

   Synonym: encausa

Related terms

• causar

Etymology 2

From Old Occitan [Term?], inherited from Latin causa (in these dialects/varieties). Cf. also encausa (“cause”).

Noun

causa f (plural causas)

1. (Gascony, Languedoc) thing

Alternative forms

• chausa (Auvernhat, Limousin, Provençal, Vivaro-Alpine)
• còsa (Guardiol)
• cauva (Provençal)

Further reading

• Diccionari General de la Lenga Occitana, L’Academia occitana – Consistòri del Gai Saber, 2008-2016, page 157.

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Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaw.zɐ/, [ˈkaʊ̯.zɐ]

• Hyphenation: cau‧sa
• Rhymes: -awzɐ

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin causa. Doublet of the inherited coisa and cousa. Cognates include English cause, French cause, Italian causa, Spanish causa.

Noun

causa f (plural causas)

1. cause, reason
2. (law) suit, lawsuit
3. goal, aim

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

causa

1. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present indicative of causar
2. second-person singular (tu, sometimes used with você) affirmative imperative of causar

Related terms

• causal
• causar

 

Further reading

• “causa” in iDicionário Aulete.
• “causa” in Dicionário inFormal.
• “causa” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “causa” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2021.
• “causa” in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa.
• “causa” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkausa/, [ˈkau̯.sa]
• Hyphenation: cau‧sa

• Audio (Mexico)

  (file)

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin causa. Doublet of the inherited cosa. Cognates include English cause, French cause, Italian causa, Portuguese causa.

Noun

causa f (plural causas)

1. cause
2. (law) lawsuit
3. A dish in Peruvian cuisine made with potatoes and layered or topped with meat or vegetables

Derived terms

• a causa de

Related terms

• acusar
• causal
• causar
• cosa

 

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

causa

1. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of causar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of causar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of causar.

Further reading

• “causa” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.