different between cause vs pique

English

Etymology

From Middle English cause, borrowed from Old French cause (“a cause, a thing”), from Latin causa (“reason, sake, cause”), in Middle English also "a thing". Origin uncertain. See accuse, excuse, recuse, ruse. Displaced native Middle English sake (“cause, reason”) (from Old English sacu (“cause”)), Middle English andweorc, andwork (“matter, cause”) (from Old English andweorc (“matter, thing, cause”)).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kôz, IPA^(key): /k??z/, [k?o?z?]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /k?z/, [k???z?]
• Rhymes: -??z
• Homophones: caws, 'cause; cores (non-rhotic dialects)

Noun

cause (countable and uncountable, plural causes)

1. (countable, often with of, typically of adverse results) The source of, or reason for, an event or action; that which produces or effects a result.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:cause

2. (uncountable, especially with for and a bare noun) Sufficient reason for a state, as of emotion.

   Synonyms: grounds, justification

3. (countable) A goal, aim or principle, especially one which transcends purely selfish ends.
   • 1796, Edmund Burke, a letter to a noble lord

     The part they take against me is from zeal to the cause.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:goal

4. (obsolete) Sake; interest; advantage.

   • I did it not for his cause.

5. (countable, obsolete) Any subject of discussion or debate; a matter; an affair.
6. (countable, law) 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.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• effect

Verb

cause (third-person singular simple present causes, present participle causing, simple past and past participle caused)

1. (transitive) To set off an event or action.

   • Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. […] She put back a truant curl from her forehead where it had sought egress to the world, and looked him full in the face now, drawing a deep breath which caused the round of her bosom to lift the lace at her throat.
2. (ditransitive) To actively produce as a result, by means of force or authority.

   • I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days.
3. To assign or show cause; to give a reason; to make excuse.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)

Derived terms

• causation
• causer

Translations

Further reading

• cause at OneLook Dictionary Search
• cause in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• cause in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• -sauce, sauce

Asturian

Verb

cause

1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive of causar

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koz/
• Homophones: causent, causes

Etymology 1

From Old French cause, borrowed from Classical Latin causa. Compare chose, an inherited doublet.

Noun

cause f (plural causes)

1. cause

   Antonym: conséquence

2. (law) case (a legal proceeding)

Derived terms

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

cause

1. inflection of causer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “cause” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• sauce, sceau

Italian

Noun

cause f pl

1. plural of causa

Middle English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French cause.

Noun

cause (plural causes)

1. cause
   • 14^th Century, Chaucer, General Prologue

     He knew the cause of everich maladye

     He knew the cause of every illness

Descendants

• English: cause

Norman

Etymology

From Old French cause, borrowed from Latin causa.

Noun

cause f (plural causes)

1. (Jersey, law) case

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin causa, whence the inherited chose.

Noun

cause f (oblique plural causes, nominative singular cause, nominative plural causes)

1. cause

Descendants

• Middle English: cause
  • English: cause
• Middle French: cause
  • French: cause
• Norman: cause

Portuguese

Verb

cause

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of causar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of causar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of causar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of causar

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?kause/, [?kau?.se]

Verb

cause

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of causar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of causar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of causar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of causar.

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: p?k, IPA^(key): /pi?k/
• Homophones: peak, peek, peke
• Rhymes: -i?k

Etymology 1

From Middle French pique (“a prick, sting”), from Old French pic (“a sharp point”). Doublet of pike (“long pointed weapon”). Compare Spanish picar (“to sting”).

Noun

pique (countable and uncountable, plural piques)

1. A feeling of enmity; ill-feeling, animosity; a transient feeling of wounded pride.
   • 1667, Richard Allestree, The Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety

     Men take up piques - and displeasures at others.

   • 1854, Thomas De Quincey, On War

     Wars had arisen […] upon a personal pique.

2. A feeling of irritation or resentment, awakened by a social slight or injury; offence, especially taken in an emotional sense with little thought or consideration.
   • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus 2010, p. 7:

     This defiance was not a fit of pique, but a matter of principle.

   • 1957, Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman, Sweet Smell of Success

     You think this is a personal thing with me? Are you telling me I think of this in terms of a personal pique?

3. (obsolete) Keenly felt desire; a longing.
   • 1684, Samuel Butler, Hudibras

     Though it have the pique, and long, / 'Tis still for something in the wrong.

Translations

Verb

pique (third-person singular simple present piques, present participle piquing, simple past and past participle piqued)

1. (transitive) To wound the pride of; to excite to anger.

   Synonyms: sting, nettle, irritate, fret

   • 1913, D. H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, chapter 11

2. (reflexive) To take pride in; to pride oneself on.

3. (transitive) To stimulate (a feeling, emotion); to offend by slighting; to excite (someone) to action by causing resentment or jealousy.

   Synonyms: excite, stimulate

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Prior to this entry?)

Translations

Etymology 2

From French pic.

Noun

pique (plural piques)

1. (card games) In piquet, the right of the elder hand to count thirty in hand, or to play before the adversary counts one.

Verb

pique (third-person singular simple present piques, present participle piquing, simple past and past participle piqued)

1. (card games, transitive) To score a pique against.

Etymology 3

From Spanish pique, from Central Quechua piki.

Noun

pique (plural piques)

1. A chigger or jigger, Tunga penetrans.

Etymology 4

From French piqué, past participle of piquer (“to prick, quilt”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pi?ke?/

Noun

pique (countable and uncountable, plural piques)

1. A durable ribbed fabric made from cotton, rayon, or silk.

References

• “pique”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

Anagrams

• Equip., equip, pequi

French

Etymology

Deverbal of piquer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pik/

Noun

pique f (plural piques)

1. pike, lance

pique m (plural piques)

1. (card games) spade (as a card suit)

Descendants

• ? German: Pik n

  ? Macedonian: ??? m (pik)

  ? Serbo-Croatian: m

  Cyrillic: ????

  Latin: p?k

  ? Slovene: pík

• ? Polish: pik m

Verb

pique

1. inflection of piquer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative
   2. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   3. second-person singular imperative

See also

Further reading

• “pique” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Middle French

Noun

pique f (plural piques)

1. Alternative form of picque

Portuguese

Etymology

From Middle French picque (“a prick, sting”), from Old French pic (“a sharp point”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pi.ki/
• (South Brazil) IPA^(key): /?pi.ke/

Noun

pique m (plural piques)

1. any spear

   Synonyms: hasta, lança

2. or specifically a pike

   Synonym: chuço

3. hide-and-seek (game)

   Synonyms: esconde-esconde, pique-esconde

Derived terms

• a pique, ir a pique

Verb

pique

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of picar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of picar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of picar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of picar

Spanish

Etymology

From picar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pike/, [?pi.ke]

Noun

pique m (plural piques)

1. (card games) spade
2. downward movement
   1. jump, leap
3. hit, fix (of drugs)
4. rivalry, loggerheads
5. grudge match

Derived terms

Verb

pique

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of picar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of picar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of picar.