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. 837; id. Eun. 145; id. Heaut. 336; id. Hec. 382; 452; 695; 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. 512; 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. 600; 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. 158; cf. with ad : causa ad objurgandum, id. ib. 150; id. Hec. 693; 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. 928; 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. 41; 1067 al.; causā meāpte, id. ib. 686: nostra causa, id. Phorm. 695; Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 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. 202; 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. 272; 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. 693; id. And. 213 Ruhnk.; 643; id. Phorm. 234: fingit causas ne det, id. Eun. 138; 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.
α 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.—
β 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.—
γ = 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.