cause

v. make happen, bring about

n. factor, reason; principle, purpose; basis for a legal case

Causality or causation denotes the relationship between one event (called cause) and another event (called effect) which is the consequence (result) of the first. This informal understanding suffices in everyday usage, however the philosophical analysis of causality or causation has proved exceedingly difficult. The work of philosophers to understand causality and how best to characterize it extends over millennia. In the western philosophical tradition explicit discussion stretches back at least as far as Aristotle, and the topic remains a staple in contemporary philosophy journals. Though cause and effect are most often held to relate events, other candidates include processes, properties, variables, facts, and states of affairs; which of these comprise the correct causal relata, and how best to characterize the nature of the relationship between them, has as yet no universally accepted answer, and remains under discussion.
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Noun
1. events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something; "they are trying to determine the cause of the crash"
(hypernym) origin, origination, inception
(hyponym) antecedent
(derivation) do, make
2. a justification for something existing or happening; "he had no cause to complain"; "they had good reason to rejoice"
(synonym) reason, grounds
(hypernym) justification
(derivation) do, make
3. a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end; "he supported populist campaigns"; "they worked in the cause of world peace"; "the team was ready for a drive toward the pennant"; "the movement to end slavery"; "contributed to the war effort"
(synonym) campaign, crusade, drive, movement, effort
(hypernym) venture
(hyponym) advertising campaign, ad campaign, ad blitz
4. any entity that causes events to happen
(synonym) causal agent, causal agency
(hypernym) entity
(hyponym) person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, human, soul
(derivation) do, make
5. a comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy; "the family brought suit against the landlord"
(synonym) lawsuit, suit, case, causa
(hypernym) proceeding, legal proceeding, proceedings
(hyponym) civil suit
(classification) law, jurisprudence
Verb
1. give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally; "cause a commotion"; "make a stir"; "cause an accident"
(synonym) do, make
(hypernym) make, create
(hyponym) determine, shape, mold, influence, regulate
(derivation) causing, causation
2. cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner; "The ads induced me to buy a VCR"; "My children finally got me to buy a computer"; "My wife made me buy a new sofa"
(synonym) induce, stimulate, have, get, make
(hyponym) decide
(derivation) causing, causation

n. celebre, part of the term "cause celebre"

n. cause, origin, reason; case; brief

v. cause, give rise to; chat