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Origin and history of causal

causal(adj.)

1530s, in grammar and logic, "expressing a cause," from Latin causalis "relating to a cause," from causa "a cause, reason" (see cause (n.)). From 1560s as "relating to a cause or causes;" 1640s as "being a cause, producing effects."

also from 1530s

Entries linking to causal

cause(n.)

c. 1200, "reason or motive for a decision, grounds for action; motive," from Old French cause "cause, reason; lawsuit, case in law" (12c.), and directly from Latin causa "a cause; a reason; interest; judicial process, lawsuit," which is of unknown origin.

From mid-14c. as "cause of an effect; source, origin." From late 14c. as "that which affords opportunity for a cause to operate, occasion;" also "reason for something taking place or for something being so; rational explanation." Also late 14c. as "proper or adequate reason, justification for an action." The sense of "matter of interest or concern; a side taken in controversy" is from c. 1300. Cause célèbre "celebrated legal case" is 1763, from French. Common cause "a shared object or aim" is by 1620s.

causality(n.)

c. 1600, "that which constitutes a cause," from causal + -ity. From 1640s as "the relation of cause to effect."

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    For similar causal pairs, compare stink and stench, cling and clench, shrink and Middle English shrench "cause to shrink....
    amuse
    entrap; make fun of," literally "cause to muse" (as a distraction), from a "at, to" (from Latin ad, but here probably a causal...
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    done
    auxiliary or with adverbial force in the sense 'already; completely.' " Century Dictionary writes that it was "originally causal...
    show
    The causal meaning "let be seen; put in sight, make known" evolved c. 1200 for unknown reasons, seems to be unique to English...
    spring
    In Middle English, it took on the role of causal sprenge, from Old English sprengan (as still in to spring a trap, etc.)....
    cool
    Old English col "not warm" (but usually not as severe as cold), "moderately cold, neither warm nor very cold," also, figuratively, of persons, "unperturbed, undemonstrative, not excited or heated by passions," from Proto-Germanic *koluz (source also of Middle Dutch coel, Dutch ko
    locomotive
    1610s, "pertaining to movement," from French locomotif, from Latin loco "from a place" (ablative of locus "place;" see locus) + Late Latin motivus "moving" (see motive). From 1650s as "moving from place to place;" by 1814 as "having the power of moving by itself. The noun meaning
    odd
    c. 1300, odde, "constituting a unit in excess of an even number," from Old Norse oddi "third or additional number," as in odda-maðr "third man, odd man (who gives the casting vote)," odda-tala "odd number." The literal meaning of Old Norse oddi is "point of land, angle" (related
    dignity
    c. 1200, "state of being worthy," from Old French dignite "dignity, privilege, honor," from Latin dignitatem (nominative dignitas) "worthiness," from dignus "worth (n.), worthy, proper, fitting," from PIE *dek-no-, suffixed form of root *dek- "to take, accept." From c. 1300 as "a

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