Because
/bɪˈkɔːz/noun
For the reason that; on account of the fact that.
Did you know?Because comes from Middle English phrases like “by cause (that),” and its modern form is a fused relic of how English can turn a whole reason into one compact word.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰeh₂-
“to set in motion, put, or place”
Latin
Latin
causa
“a cause, reason, legal case”
Old French
Old French
cause
“cause, reason, legal matter”
Middle English
English
by cause (that)
“by reason of, on account of”
Late Middle English
English
bicause / because
“because, since”
Modern English
English
because
“for the reason that”