cause vs footing

cause

noun
  • 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. 

  • The source of, or reason for, an event or action; that which produces or effects a result. 

verb
  • To actively produce as a result, by means of force or authority. 

  • To set off an event or action. 

footing

noun
  • A relative condition; state. 

  • Stability or balance when standing on one's feet. 

  • The thickened or sloping portion of a wall, or of an embankment at its foot; foundation. 

  • A narrow cotton lace, without figures. 

  • A footprint or footprints; tracks, someone's trail. 

  • The finer refuse part of whale blubber, not wholly deprived of oil. 

  • The act of putting a foot to anything; also, that which is added as a foot 

  • The act of adding up a column of figures; the amount or sum total of such a column. 

  • A double-check of the numbers vertically. 

  • A ground for the foot; place for the foot to rest on; firm foundation to stand on. 

  • A standing; position; established place; foothold. 

How often have the words cause and footing occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )