cause 
(kôz)
(kôz)n.
1.
a. The producer of an effect, result, or consequence.
b. The one, such as a person, event, or condition, that is responsible for an action or result.
2. A basis for an action or response; a reason: The doctor's report gave no cause for alarm.
3. A goal or principle served with dedication and zeal: “the cause of freedom versus tyranny” (Hannah Arendt).
4. The interests of a person or group engaged in a struggle: “The cause of America is in great measure the cause of all mankind” (Thomas Paine).
5. Law
a. A lawsuit or criminal prosecution.
b. The ground or basis for a lawsuit.
6. A subject under debate or discussion.
tr.v. caused, caus·ing, caus·es
1. To be the cause of or reason for; result in.
2. To bring about or compel by authority or force: The moderator invoked a rule causing the debate to be ended.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin causa, reason, cause, grounds for a lawsuit, lawsuit, of unknown origin.]
causa·ble adj.
causeless adj.
causer n.
Synonyms: cause, reason, occasion, antecedent
These nouns denote what brings about or is associated with an effect or result. A cause is an agent or condition that permits the occurrence of an effect or leads to a result: “He is not only dull in himself, but the cause of dullness in others” (Samuel Foote).
Reason refers to what explains the occurrence or nature of an effect: There was no obvious reason for the accident.
Occasion is something that brings on or precipitates an action, condition, or event: “Injustice provides the occasion for change” (Alan Dershowitz).
Antecedent refers to what has gone before and implies a relationship—but not necessarily a causal one—with what ensues: Some of the antecedents of World War II lie in economic conditions in Europe following World War I.
These nouns denote what brings about or is associated with an effect or result. A cause is an agent or condition that permits the occurrence of an effect or leads to a result: “He is not only dull in himself, but the cause of dullness in others” (Samuel Foote).
Reason refers to what explains the occurrence or nature of an effect: There was no obvious reason for the accident.
Occasion is something that brings on or precipitates an action, condition, or event: “Injustice provides the occasion for change” (Alan Dershowitz).
Antecedent refers to what has gone before and implies a relationship—but not necessarily a causal one—with what ensues: Some of the antecedents of World War II lie in economic conditions in Europe following World War I.
- yellow bile
- yellow birch
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- yellow-breasted chat
- yellowcake
- yellow card
- yellow-card
- yellow cat
- yellow dog
- yellow-dog
- yellow-dog contract
- yellow fever
- yellow-fever mosquito
- yellowfin tuna
- yellowhammer
- yellowish
- yellow jack
- yellow jacket
- yellow jasmine
- yellow jessamine
- yellow journalism
- Yellowknife
- yellowlegs
- yellow mustard
- yellowness