The source of, or reason for, an event or action; that which produces or effects a result.
Sufficient reason for a state, as of emotion.
A goal, aim or principle, especially one which transcends purely selfish ends.
A suit or action in court; any legal process by which a party endeavors to obtain his claim, or what he regards as his right; case; ground of action.
To actively produce as a result, by means of force or authority.
To set off an event or action.
Meaning as derived and conveyed thereby: The literal meaning of a term according to its origin, which may differ from its usual meaning when the latter relies on idiomatic conventions that are not conveyed by the term alone (that is, they must be known in other ways, such as experience, training, education, or dictionary lookup).
The original or earlier form of an inherited or borrowed word, affix, or morpheme either from an earlier period in a language's development, from an ancestral language, or from a foreign language.