cause vs trigger

cause

noun
  • 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. 

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

  • To set off an event or action. 

trigger

noun
  • An event that initiates others, or incites a response. 

  • An electronic transducer allowing a drum, cymbal, etc. to control an electronic drum unit or similar device. 

  • An event, experience or other stimulus that initiates a traumatic memory or a strong reaction in a person. 

  • An SQL procedure that may be initiated when a record is inserted, updated or deleted; typically used to maintain referential integrity. 

  • A concept or image that upsets somebody by sparking a negative emotional response. 

  • A similar device used to activate any mechanism. 

  • A pulse in an electronic circuit that initiates some component. 

  • A text string that, when received by a player, will cause the player to execute a certain command. 

  • A device that manually lengthens (or sometimes shortens) the slide or tubing of a brass instrument, allowing the pitch range to be altered while playing. 

  • A finger-operated lever used to fire a gun. 

verb
  • To fire a weapon. 

  • To initiate something. 

  • To spark a response, especially a negative emotional response, in (someone). 

  • To activate; to become active. 

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