noun · femininefirst declension
causa1
causa f (genitive causae)
Classical[ˈkau̯.sa]Ecclesiastical[ˈkaːu̯.sa]
№ 107 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- femininecause, reason
qua de causa/qua de re/quam ob causam
for this reason/thereforeCaesar, quod neque conloquium interposita causa tolli volebat neque salutem suam Gallorum equitatui committere audebat, commodissimum esse statuit omnibus equis Gallis equitibus detractis eo legionarios milites legionis X., cui quam maxime confidebat, imponere, ut praesidium quam amicissimum, si quid opus facto esset, haberet.
Caesar, as he didn't want either the interview to be for any reason set aside or confide his wellbeing in the hands of the Gallic cavalry, said he saw as most fit the Gallic horsemen be stripped off their steeds and in their place mount legionaries of the 10th legion, in which he had the utmost faith, that he might have as trusted a body-guard as one could have if the occasion ever urged its use.c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico 1.42 - femininecase, claim, contention
- femininecause, judicial process, lawsuit
- femininemotive, reason, pretext, inducement, motivation
SĪMŌ: Nē haec quidem / satis vehemēns causa ad objūrgandum.
SIMO: Even this was not a strong enough reason to reprimand [my son].166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 149–150 - femininecondition, occasion, situation, state
- femininefigurativelyjustification, explanation
- Late Latinfemininething
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
rēs quae apud magistrātum agitur; etiam: id propter quod aliquid fit.causa -ae f — in Mille Verba, Basilica et Iūs
id propter quod fitcausa -ae (f) — in IVLIANVS I: Gallia, ch. 9
ratiō damnātiōnis, tituluscausa -ae (f) — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 25
case, plea
causa -ae — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 10, 15
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | causa | causae caussae |
| genitive | causae caussae | causārum caussārum |
| dative | causae caussae | causīs caussīs |
| accusative | causam caussam | causās caussās |
| ablative | causā | causīs caussīs |
| vocative | causa | causae caussae |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- causa privata
- a civil case.
- causam dicere
- to defend oneself before the judge (of the accused).
- temporis causa
- on the spur of the moment.
- causam afferre
- to quote as a reason; give as excuse.
- non sine causa
- on good grounds; reasonably.
- iustis de causis
- for valid reasons.
- causam suscipere
- to undertake a case.
- populi causam agere
- to be a leading spirit of the popular cause.
42 more phrases
- per causam (with Gen.)
- under the pretext, pretence of...
- causam idoneam nancisci
- to find a suitable pretext.
- quid causae fuit cur...?
- how came it that...?
- causam or litem obtinere
- to win a case.
- causā or iudicio vincere
- to win a case.
- causam dicere pro aliquo
- to defend a person.
- causam alicuius defendere
- to conduct some one's defence in a case.
- aliquid, causam cognoscere
- to hold an inquiry into a matter.
- causae rerum et consecutiones
- cause and effect.
- causa posita est in aliqua re
- the motive, cause, is to be found in...
- ad causam aggredi or accedere
- to undertake a case.
- causa publica (Brut. 48. 178)
- a criminal case.
- quod ornandi causa additum est
- a digression, episode.
- alicuius causa velle or cupere
- to be favourably disposed towards.
- iudicare causam (de aliqua re)
- to decide on the conduct of the case.
- patronus (causae) (De Or. 2. 69)
- counsel; advocate.
- rerum causae aliae ex aliis nexae
- concatenation, interdependence of causes.
- causam interponere or interserere
- to interpose, put forward an argument, a reason.
- causam or litem amittere, perdere
- to lose one's case.
- magnae (graves) necessariae causae
- cogent, decisive reasons.
- rei publicae causa (Sest. 47. 101)
- for political reasons.
- indicta causa (opp. cognita causa)
- without going to law.
causa (by Cicero, and also a little after him, caussa, Quint. 1, 7, 20; so Fast. Praenest. pp. 321, 322; Inscr. Orell. 3681; 4077; 4698 al.; in Mon. Ancyr. 3, 1 dub.), ae, f. perh. root cav- of caveo, prop. that which is defended or protected; cf. cura,
I. that by, on account of, or through which any thing takes place or is done; a cause, reason, motive, inducement; also, in gen., an occasion, opportunity (opp. effectis, Quint. 6, 3, 66; 7, 3, 29:
factis, id. 4, 2, 52; 12, 1, 36 al.; very freq. in all periods, and in all kinds of discourse. In its different meanings syn. with ratio, principium, fons, origo, caput; excusatio, defensio; judicium, controversia, lis; partes, actio; condicio, negotium, commodum, al.). I. In gen.: causa ea est, quae id efficit, cujus est causa; ut vulnus mortis; cruditas morbi;
ignis ardoris. Itaque non sic causa intellegi debet, ut quod cuique antecedat, id ei causa sit, sed quod cuique efficienter antecedat, Cic. Fat. 15, 34: justa et magna et perspicua, id. Rosc. Am. 14, 40: id. Phil. 2, 22, 53; id. Att. 16, 7, 6: sontica causa, v. sonticus.—Followed by a particle of cause: causa, quamobrem, etc., Ter. And. 5, 1, 18; id. Eun. 1, 2, 65; id. Heaut. 2, 3, 95; id. Hec. 3, 3, 22; 3, 5, 2; 4, 4, 73; Cic. Fin. 4, 16, 44: causa, quare, etc., Cic. Inv. 2, 20, 60: causa, cur, etc., id. Ac. 1, 3, 10; Quint. 11, 3, 16; 2, 3, 11; Hor. C. 1, 16, 19 al.: causa quod, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 46, § 109; id. Phil. 6, 1, 1; Quint. 2, 1, 1; 5, 10, 30 al.: ut, etc., Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 7; Ter. Eun. 3, 3, 6; Cic. Fam. 1, 8, 4 al.: haud causa quin, etc., Plaut. Most. 2, 2, 4: quae causa est quin, id. Capt. 2, 2, 103: quid causae est quin, Ter. And. 3, 4, 21; Cic. Tusc. 5, 11, 32; Hor. S. 1, 1, 20: nulla causa est quin, Cic. Fam. 2, 17, 1: causa quominus, Sall. C. 51, 41; Liv. 34, 56, 9: causa ne, id. 34, 39, 9: nihil causae est cur non, etc., Quint. 11, 3, 59: causae propter quas, etc., id. 4, 2, 12; 5, 7, 24; 8, 6, 23.—With gen. obj.: is, qui causa mortis fuit, Cic. Phil. 9, 3, 7; Liv. 21, 21, 1; Quint. 7, 3, 18; 7, 4, 42: salutis, Lucr. 3, 349: morbi, id. 3, 502; Verg. G. 4, 397; Hor. C. 2, 2, 14: nos causa belli sumus, Liv. 1, 13, 3: causa mortis fuistis, Quint. 7, 3, 32; Sen. Ira, 2, 27, 3: explicandae philosophiae, Cic. Div. 2, 2, 6: nec vero umquam bellorum civilium semen et causa deerit, id. Off. 2, 8, 29; so, belli, Sall. C. 2, 2; Verg. A. 7, 553; Hor. C. 2, 1, 2; id. S. 1, 3, 108; id. Ep. 1, 2, 9: felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas, Verg. G. 2, 490: vera objurgandi causa, Ter. And. 1, 1, 131; cf. with ad: causa ad objurgandum, id. ib. 1, 1, 123; id. Hec. 4, 4, 71; and poet. with inf.: consurgere in arma, Verg. A. 10, 90: perire, Tib. 3, 2, 30: gestare carinas, Luc. 5, 464.— With prepp.: cum causā, with good reason, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 8, § 21; id. de Or. 2, 60, 247; Varr. R. R. 1, 17, 4: sine causā, without good reason, Cic. Div. 2, 28, 61; id. Fat. 9, 18; id. de Or. 2, 60, 246; id. Att. 13, 22, 1; Caes. B. G. 1, 14; Nep. Alcib. 6, 2; Quint. 1, 10, 35; 1, 12, 9: his de causis, Cic. Att. 6, 1, 6: id nisi gravi de causā non fecisset, id. ib. 7, 7, 3: justis de causis, id. Fam. 5, 20, 2: quā de causā, id. Off. 1, 41, 147; id. Ac. 1, 12, 43; Caes. B. G. 1, 1: quibus de causis, Quint. 4, 2, 15; less freq. in ante-Aug. prose: quā ex causa, Cic. Rep. 2, 7, 13; id. Mur. 17, 36; but very freq. in Quint., Sen., and the younger Plin.; so, nullā aliā ex causā, Sen. Ep. 29, 1: multis ex causis, Quint. 5, 12, 3: quibus ex causis, id. 4, 2, 15; Plin. Ep. 6, 6, 8: ex plurimis causis, id. ib. 1, 3, 6: ex his (causis), id. ib. 5, 8, 6:—ob eam causam scribo, ut, etc., Cic. Fam. 1, 8, 4: illa festinatio fuit ob illam causam, ne, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 40, § 99; Nep. Milt. 6, 2: ob eam causam, quia, etc., Cic. N. D. 3, 20, 51: ob eas causas, Caes. B. G. 1, 10: ob eam ipsam causam, Cic. Brut. 7, 29: quam ob causam, Nep. Paus. 2, 6: propter eam quam dixi causam, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 46, § 110: causae propter quas, Quint. 4, 2, 12.—In causā esse, to be the cause of, responsible for, etc. (rare): in causā haec sunt, Cic. Fam. 1, 1, 1: vim morbi in causā esse, quo serius perficeretur, Liv. 40, 26, 5: verecundiam multis in causā fuisse, ut, etc., Quint. 12, 5, 2; Plin. Ep. 6, 10, 3; 7, 5, 1; Plin. 9, 30, 49, § 94; cf.: tarditatis causa in senatu fuit, Liv. 4, 58, 4.—b. Causā, in abl. with gen. or possess. adj. (usu. put after the noun), as patris causā, meā causā, on account of, for the sake of (in the best prose, almost always referring to the future, and implying a purpose; cf. propter with acc. of the pre-existing cause or motive):
honoris tui causā huc ad te venimus, Plaut. Poen. 3, 3, 25; Ter. Phorm. 5, 7, 35; Cic. Fam. 13, 26, 2 al.: animi causa, v. animus, II., etc.: exempli causā, v. exemplum: causā meā, Plaut. Most. 5, 2, 47; id. Poen. 1, 2, 160; id. Am. 1, 3, 42 al.; Ter. Heaut. prol. 41; 5, 5, 23 al.; causā meāpte, id. ib. 4, 3, 8: nostra causa, id. Phorm. 4, 4, 14; Cic. Ac. 2, 38, 120; Quint. 7, 4, 9: vestrā magis hoc causā volebam quam meā, Cic. de Or. 1, 35. 162: aliena potius causa quam sua, Quint. 3, 7, 16.—Put before the noun: rastros capsit causă potiendi agri, Enn. Ann. 324 Vahl.: quidquid hujus feci, causā virginis Feci, Ter. Eun. 1, 2, 122; so Liv. 26, 32, 6; 31, 12, 4; 39, 14, 8; 40, 41 fin.; 40, 44, 10.—Rarely with propter in the same sense: vestrarum sedum templorumque causā, propter salutem meorum civium, Cic. Sest. 20, 45.—With gen. of pers. or reflex. pron. instead of possess. very rare (v. Lahmeyer ad Cic. Lael. 16, 57): quod illi semper sui causā fecerant, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 52, § 121.II. Esp.
A. = justa causa, good reason, just cause, full right:
cum causā accedere ad accusandum, with good reason, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 8, § 21; so, cum causā, id. de Or. 2, 60, 247; Varr. R. R. 1, 17, 4; 3, 16, 7; and the contrary: sine causā, without good reason, Cic. Div. 2, 28, 61; id. de Or. 2, 60, 246; Caes. B. G. 1, 14; Nep. Alcib. 6, 2 al.—B. An apology, excuse, Cato, R. R. 2, 2; Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 92; Ter. Phorm. 2, 1, 42; Cic. Fam. 16, 19 fin.; Verg. A. 9, 219 al.—
C. Causam alicui dare alicujus rei, occasion:
qui (Nebatius) mihi dedit causam harum litterarum, Cic. Fam. 11, 27, 8; for which poët.: Bacchus et ad culpam causas dedit, Verg. G. 2, 455 Forbig. ad loc.—D. A feigned cause, a pretext, pretence, = praetextus, πρόφασις:
habere causam, Plaut. As. 4, 1, 44: fingere falsas causas, Ter. Hec. 4, 4, 71; id. And. 1, 3, 8 Ruhnk.; 4, 1, 18; id. Phorm. 2, 1, 4: fingit causas ne det, id. Eun. 1, 2, 58; cf. Tib. 1, 6, 11: morae facere, to pretend reasons for the delay, Sall. J. 36, 2: inferre causam, Caes. B. G. 1, 39, 2: causam interponere, Nep. Them. 7, 1; cf. id. Milt. 4, 1: bellandi, id. Ham. 3, 1: belli, Tac. A. 12, 45: jurgii, Phaedr. 1, 1, 4 al. (On the other hand, causa, a true cause, is opp. to praetextus, a pretext, Suet. Caes. 30.)—So freq. per causam, under the pretext, Caes. B. C. 3, 24; 3, 76; 3, 87; Liv. 2, 32, 1 Drak.; 22, 61, 8; Suet. Caes. 2; id. Oth. 3; id. Vesp. 1; Tib. 1, 6, 26; Ov. H. 20, 140; id. Tr. 2, 452.—E. In judic. lang. t. t., a cause, judicial process, lawsuit:
privatae, Cic. Inv. 1, 3, 4: publicae, id. de Or. 3, 20, 74; id. Rosc. Am. 21, 59: capitis aut famae, id. Fam. 9, 21, 1: causam agere, id. de Or. 2, 48, 199; Quint. 6, 1, 54; 7, 2, 55; 10, 7, 30; 11, 1, 67 et saep.: constituere, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 1, § 1: perorare, id. Quint. 24, 77: defendere, Quint. 3, 6, 9; 12, 1, 24; 12, 1, 37; Suet. Caes. 49: exponere, Quint. 2, 5, 7: perdere, Cic. Rosc. Com. 4, 10: obtinere, id. Fam. 1, 4, 1: tenere (= obticere), Ov. M. 13, 190: causā cadere, v. cado, II.: causam dicere, to defend one's self, or to make a defence (as an advocate), Cic. Rosc. Am. 5, 12 and 13; 21, 54; id. Sest. 8, 18; id. Quint. 8, 31; Liv. 29, 19, 5; Quint. 5, 11, 39; 8, 2, 24; Suet. Caes. 30 et saep.—Poet.: causa prior, the first part of the process, i. e. the trial, Ov. M. 15, 37.—Hence, 2. Out of the sphere of judicial proceedings, the party, faction, cause that one defends:
ne condemnare causam illam, quam secutus esset, videretur, etc., Cic. Lig. 9, 27 sq.: suarum partium causa, Quint. 3, 8, 57: causa Caesaris melior, id. 5, 11, 42; Tac. A. 1, 36 al. —Hence, b. Meton.
(a). A relation of friendship, connection:
quīcum tibi adfininitas, societas, omnes denique causae et necessitudines veteres intercedebant, Cic. Quint. 15, 48: explicare breviter, quae mihi sit ratio et causa cum Caesare, id. Prov. Cons. 17, 40; id. Fam. 13, 19, 1.—(b). In gen., = condicio, a condition, state, situation, relation, position:
ut nonnumquam mortem sibi ipse consciscere aliquis debeat, alius in eādem causā non debeat: num enim aliā in causā M. Cato fuit, alia ceteri, qui se in Africā Caesari tradiderunt? Cic. Off. 1, 31, 112; so Caes. B. G. 4, 4 Herz.: (Regulus) erat in meliore causā quam, etc., Cic. Off. 3, 27, 100; id. Agr. 3, 2, 9 (where for causa in the foll. clause is condicio): atque in hoc genere mea causa est, ut, etc., id. Fam. 2, 4, 1; cf. id. ib. 9, 13, 1.—(g). = negotium, a cause, business undertaken for any one, an employment:
cui senatus dederat publice causam, ut mihi gratias ageret, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 73, § 170: quod nemo eorum rediisset, qui super tali causā eodem missi erant, Nep. Paus. 4, 1.—F. In medic. lang., a cause for disease:
causam metuere, Cels. 3, 3; so Sen. Cons. ad Marc. 11 fin.; Plin. 28, 15, 61, § 218.—Hence in late Lat. for disease, Cael. Aur. Tard. 5, 10, 95; id. Acut. 2, 29, 157; Veg. 1, 25, 1; 3, 6, 11; 3, 45, 5; 4, 4, 2 al.—G. That which lies at the basis of a rhetorical representation, matter, subject, ὑπόθεσις, Cic. Top. 21, 79; id. Inv. 1, 6, 8; Auct. Her. 1, 11, 18; Quint. 3, 5, 7 sq.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
causa (caussa) ae, f
1 CAV-, a cause, reason, motive, inducement, occasion, opportunity: te causae inpellebant leves, T.: obscura: accedit illa quoque causa: causa, quam ob rem, etc., T.: satis esse causa, quā re, etc., Cs.: si causa nulla est, cur, etc.: causa quod, etc.: ea est causa, ut cloacae subeant, etc., L.: quid causae est quin: nulla causa est quin: causa quo minus, S.: is, qui causa mortis fuit: morbi, V.: nos causa belli sumus, L.: rerum cognoscere causas, V.: Vera obiurgandi causa, T.—Poet.: Bacchus et ad culpam causas dedit (i. e. culparum causa fuit), V.: consurgere in arma, V.: quae rebus sit causa novandis, V.: meo subscribi causa sepulchro, i. e. of my death, O. — In phrases: cum causā, with good reason: sine causā, without good reason: sine ullā apertā causā: his de causis, Cs.: quā de causā: quā ex causa: eā causā, S.: ob eam causam, Cs.: ob eam ipsam causam: quam ob causam, N.: propter eam quam dixi causam: in causā haec sunt, are responsible: vim morbi in causā esse, quo, etc., L.: non paucitatem ... causae fuisse cogitabant, to have been the cause, Cs.—Esp., abl. with gen. or possess. adj., on account of, for the sake of: alqm honoris causā nominare, with due respect: omnium nostrum causā: vitandae suspitionis causā: meā causā, T.: meāpte causā, T.: vestrā reique p. causā: vestrarum sedum templorumque causā; cf. quod illi semper sui causā fecerant: additur illius hoc iam causā, quicum agitur.—Meton., an apology, excuse: non causam dico quin ferat, etc., T.: causas nequiquam nectis inanīs, V.—Poet.: Et geminas, causam lacrimis, sacraverat aras, i. e. a place to weep, V.—A feigned cause, pretext, pretence: fingit causas ne det, T.: morae causas facere, reasons for the delay, S.: causas innecte morandi, V.: inferre causam, Cs.: bellandi, N.: per causam exercendorum remigum, under the pretext, Cs.: per causam renovati belli, L.: gratiam per hanc causam conciliare.—In law, a cause, judicial process, lawsuit: causam agere: publicam dicere: proferre: perdere: tenere, O.: causae actor accessi: causam dicere, to defend (oneself or as advocate): linguam causis acuere, for pleading, H.: extra causam esse, not to the point: plura extra causam dixisse: atque peracta est causa prior, i. e. the hearing before the decision, O.—A side, party, faction, cause: condemnare causam illam: et causam et hominem probare, Cs.: publica, the common weal, O.—A relation of friendship, connection: omnes causae et necessitudines veteres: quae mihi sit causa cum Caesare. —A condition, state, situation, relation, position: num enim aliā in causā M. Cato fuit, aliā ceteri, etc.: in eādem causā fuerunt, Cs.: in meliore causā. — A commission, business undertaken, employment: cui senatus dederat publice causam, ut mihi gratias ageret: super tali causā eodem missi, N.—In rhet., a concrete question, case for discussion.
Origins
From Old Latin caussa, from Proto-Italic *kaussā, further origin unknown. Connected by some to Latin cudo (“to strike”), in the sense "strike a cause," in which the Proto-Indo-European form would be *kewh₂-ud-ʰ-t-, from *kewh₂- (“to cut, strike”). Others are skeptical of an Indo-European origin. Related to Etruscan 𐌂𐌀𐌅𐌔𐌀 (cavsa).