Etymograph

English

because

Because comes from Middle English bi cause ‘by cause’, a compound of bi ‘by’ and cause, modelled on Old French par cause.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bi cause1‘by cause’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1611because1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English because
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “And God blessed the seuenth day, and sanctified it:…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bi causeWiktionary, English because‘by cause’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1611becauseWiktionary, English because. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “And God blessed the seuenth day, and sanctified it:…”

Linked words

through Old Latin caussa

23 more

through Latin causa ‘cause, reason’

chest, chose, accusation, accuse, syllabus, causal, 27 more

Today it means

conj By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “because”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English bi cause / because

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