Causality
/ˌkɔːzˈæl.ɪ.ti/noun
The principle that every event is produced by a cause.
Did you know?Causality enters English through Latin philosophical writing, where thinkers used it to describe the binding chain between cause and effect—the invisible logic behind fate, law, and science.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*keuh₂-
“to set in motion, make, or cause”
Latin
Latin
causa
“a cause, reason, or legal case”
Latin
Latin
causalis
“pertaining to a cause”
Late Latin
Latin
causalitas
“the quality of being causal”
Middle English
English
causalite
“the condition of being caused or of causing”
Modern English
English
causality
“the relation between cause and effect”