noun
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the act or fact of causing; the production of an effect by a cause
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the relationship of cause and effect
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of causation
1640–50; < Medieval Latin causātiōn- (stem of causātiō ), equivalent to causāt ( us ) (past participle of causāre to cause) ( Latin caus ( a ) cause + -ātus -ate 1 ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Use the noun causation to talk about the process of causing something to happen. If you try to sue your brother for your bike accident, you’ll have to prove causation. It’s easy to remember what causation means if you break it apart. Most of the word cause is in there, plus -ation, which you might recognize as a noun suffix that describes an action or process. So causation is the action of causing something. It’s a formal word, and you'll often hear it come up in legal or scientific contexts. If you become a research biologist, you might do experiments to determine causation of a particular kind of cancer.
Vocabulary lists containing causation
The ACT Math Test: Statistics and Probability
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Statistics and Probability
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The SAT Math Test: Problem Solving and Data Analysis
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Causation is the why behind events; understanding it is the way historians get at the heart of the matter.
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
There’s a second reason we are talking about the same thing: Causation can be attributed.
From Slate • Mar. 24, 2020
But I think this is the embodiment of a classic fallacy: Causation doesn’t mean correlation.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 23, 2018
Causation again seems to run the other way.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2016
Correlation and Causation Correlation and causation are two quite different words, and the innumerate are more prone to mistake them than most.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
