causal

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin causalis, from Latin causa (“cause”); see cause.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɔː.zəl/,

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɔ.zəl/,
• (Canada, cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑ.zəl/
• Rhymes: -ɔːzəl

Adjective

causal (comparative more causal, superlative most causal)

1. of, relating to, or being a cause of something; causing

   There is no causal relationship between eating carrots and seeing in the dark.

   • 2021 February 24, Greg Morse, “Great Heck: a tragic chain of events”, in RAIL, number 925, page 44:

     Time changes attitudes, and while Hart's actions in driving when not fit to do so were certainly in the causal chain of the Great Heck accident, how many other drivers were out there driving when too fatigued to do so?

Usage notes

• See usage notes at causally.

Derived terms

Related terms

• cause
• causal-final
• causality
• causation

Translations

Noun

causal (plural causals)

1. (grammar) a word (such as because) that expresses a reason or a cause

Further reading

• “causal”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “causal”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Calusa, casual, casula

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin causālis, from Latin causa.

Adjective

causal m or f (masculine and feminine plural causals)

1. causal

Related terms

• causa

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin causālis, from Latin causa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ko.zal/

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophones: causale, causales

Adjective

causal (feminine causale, masculine plural causaux, feminine plural causales)

1. causal

Further reading

• “causal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Late Latin causālis. By surface analysis, causa +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Hyphenation: cau‧sal

Adjective

causal m or f (plural causais)

1. causal (of, relating to or being a cause of something)

Derived terms

• causalidade
• causalmente

Related terms

• causa
• coisa

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin causālis, from Latin causa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kauˈsal/

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: cau‧sal

Adjective

causal m or f (masculine and feminine plural causales)

1. causal

Related terms

Further reading

• “causal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014