cause

cause [kôz]

n.

[ME < OFr < L causa, a cause, reason, judicial process, lawsuit: infl. (in CAUSE senses 4 & 5) by CASE¹]

1. anything producing an effect or result

2. a person or thing acting voluntarily or involuntarily as the agent that brings about an effect or result [drinking was the cause of his downfall]

3. a reason, motive, or ground for some action, feeling, etc.; esp., sufficient reason [cause for complaint]

4. any objective or movement that a person or group is interested in and supports, esp. one involving social reform

5. Law an action or question to be resolved by a court of law

vt.

caused, causing

to be the cause of; bring about; make happen; effect, induce, produce, compel, etc.

——————

make common cause with

to work together with toward the same objective; join forces with

causeless

adj.

causer

n.

SYN.- CAUSE, in its distinctive sense, refers to a situation, event, or agent that produces an effect or result [carelessness is often a cause of accident ]; REASON implies the mental activity of a rational being in explaining or justifying some act or thought [she had a reason for laughing ]; a MOTIVE is an impulse, emotion, or desire that leads to action [the motive for a crime ]; an ANTECEDENT is an event or thing that is the predecessor of, and is responsible for, a later event or thing [war always has its antecedents]; a DETERMINANT is a cause that helps to determine the character of an effect or result [ambition was a determinant in his success ]