Words With Similar Definitions
Latin	1: locus	2: res	3: actus	4: argumentum	5: vicis
Greek	1: stasis	2: prophasis	3: toioutos	4: hupothesis	5: -
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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], 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 causâ, with good reason, Cic. Verr. 2.1.8.§ 21; id. de Or. 2, 60, 247; Varr. R. R. 1, 17, 4: sine causâ, 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 causâ non fecisset, id. ib. 7, 7, 3: justis de causis, id. Fam. 5, 20, 2: quâ de causâ, 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: quâ ex causa, Cic. Rep. 2, 7, 13; id. Mur. 17.36; but very freq. in Quint., Sen., and the younger Plin.; so, nullâ aliâ ex causâ, 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., id. 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 causâ esse, to be the cause of, responsible for, etc. (rare): in causâ haec sunt, Cic. Fam. 1, 1, 1: vim morbi in causâ esse, quo serius perficeretur, Liv. 40, 26, 5: verecundiam multis in causâ 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. Causâ, in abl. with gen. or possess. adj. (usu. put after the noun), as patris causâ, meâ causâ, 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 causâ 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 causâ, v. exemplum: causâ meâ, Plaut. Most. 5.2.47; id. Poen. 1.2.160; id. Am. 1.3.42 al.; Ter. Heaut. prol. 41; 5, 5, 23 al.; causâ meâpte, id. ib. 4, 3, 8: nostra causa, id. Phorm. 4, 4, 14; Cic. Ac. 2, 38, 120; Quint. 7, 4, 9: vestrâ magis hoc causâ volebam quam meâ, Cic. de Or. 1, 35. 162: aliena potius causa quam sua, Quint. 3, 7, 16.--Put before the noun: rastros capsit causa potiendi agri, Enn. Ann. 324 Vahl.: quidquid hujus feci, causâ 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 causâ, 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 causâ fecerant, Cic. Verr. 2.3.52.§ 121.

II. Esp.

A. = justa causa, good reason, just cause, full right: cum causâ accedere ad accusandum, with good reason, Cic. Verr. 2.1.8.§ 21; so, cum causâ, id. de Or. 2, 60, 247; Varr. R. R. 1, 17, 4; 3, 16, 7; and the contrary: sine causâ, 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, prophasis: 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: causâ 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: quîcum 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 eâdem causâ non debeat: num enim aliâ in causâ M. Cato fuit, alia ceteri, qui se in Africâ Caesari tradiderunt? Cic. Off. 1, 31, 112; so Caes. B. G. 4.4 Herz.: (Regulus) erat in meliore causâ 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 causâ 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, hupothesis, Cic. Top. 21, 79; id. Inv. 1, 6, 8; Auct. Her. 1, 11, 18; Quint. 3, 5, 7 sq.