causam

Causam is the accusative singular form of the Latin noun causa. Causa is a feminine noun of the first declension that commonly means “cause,” “reason,” or “motive,” and it can also refer to a legal matter or case in certain classical contexts. Causam is used when the noun serves as the direct object of a verb or appears in constructions that require the accusative.

In Latin texts, causam appears in phrases such as advocatus causam agit (the advocate pleads the case) or dicere causam (to plead a case or to state a cause). The word occurs across legal, philosophical, rhetorical, and narrative prose, always retaining the core sense of a matter, reason, or case in question. The other cases of causa—causae (genitive and dative), causam (accusative plural), and causā (ablative plural)—are used for different syntactic functions.

Etymology and related terms: causa derives from Latin, ultimately from Greek aitia meaning “cause” or “reason,” via Proto-Italic. The English word cause traces back to causa through Old French. In English-language scholarly work, causam is not a standard word outside quotations of Latin phrases; it is primarily encountered in discussions of Latin morphology and syntax.

See also: causa, Latin grammar, Greek aitia, causation.