different between argument vs cause

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /????j?m?nt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /????j?m?nt/, /-?ju-/, /-?j?-/
• Hyphenation: ar?gu?ment

Etymology 1

From Middle English argument, from Anglo-Norman and Old French arguement, from Latin arg?mentum (“argument (for a position); evidence, proof; point, theme; thesis, topic; plot (in theatre)”), from arguere + -mentum (suffix indicating the instrument, medium, or result of something). Arguere is the present active infinitive of argu? (“to argue, assert, declare; to make clear, prove, show; to accuse, charge with, reprove; to blame, censure; to denounce as false”), either ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h?er?- (“silver, white; glittering”), or from Hittite [script needed] (arkuw?(i)-, “to make a plea, state one’s case”). The English word is analysable as argue +? -ment.

Noun

argument (countable and uncountable, plural arguments)

1. (countable, also figuratively) A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:argument

   1. (logic, philosophy) A series of propositions organized so that the final proposition is a conclusion which is intended to follow logically from the preceding propositions, which function as premises.
2. (countable) A process of reasoning; argumentation.
3. (countable) An abstract or summary, as of the contents of a book, chapter, or poem; (figuratively) the contents themselves.
4. (countable) A verbal dispute; a quarrel.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dispute
6. (countable, linguistics) Any of the phrases that bears a syntactic connection to the verb of a clause.
7. (countable, mathematics)
   1. The independent variable of a function.
   2. The phase of a complex number.
   3. (also astronomy) A quantity on which the calculation of another quantity depends.

8. (countable, programming)
   1. A value, or a reference to a value, passed to a function.

      Synonyms: actual argument, passed parameter

   2. A parameter at a function call; an actual parameter, as opposed to a formal parameter.
9. (countable, obsolete)
   1. A matter in question; a business in hand.
   2. The subject matter of an artistic representation, discourse, or writing; a theme or topic.
10. (uncountable, archaic) Evidence, proof; (countable) an item of such evidence or proof.

Usage notes

• Adjectives often used with argument: valid, invalid, correct, incorrect, right, wrong, strong, weak, convincing, unconvincing, conclusive, inconclusive, fallacious, simple, straightforward, inductive, deductive, logical, illogical, absurd, specious, flawed.
• (parameter at a function call): some authors regard the use of argument to mean “formal parameter” to be imprecise, preferring that argument be used to refer only to the value that is used to instantiate the parameter at runtime, while parameter refers only to the name in the function definition that will be instantiated.

Alternative forms

• arguement (obsolete)

Meronyms

• (logic): conclusion, premise, proposition

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

The obsolete senses are derived from Middle English argumenten (“to argue, discuss; to consider, reflect”), from Old French argumenter (“to argue”), from Latin arg?ment?r?, the present active infinitive of arg?mentor (“to adduce arguments or proof, prove, reason; to adduce (something) as argument or proof; to conclude”), from arg?mentum (“argument (for a position); evidence, proof; point, theme; thesis, topic; plot (in theatre)”) (see further at etymology 1) +? -or (the first-person singular present passive indicative of -? (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)).

The current sense is derived from the noun.

Verb

argument (third-person singular simple present arguments, present participle argumenting, simple past and past participle argumented)

1. (intransitive, obsolete, now nonstandard, non-native speakers' English) To put forward as an argument; to argue.
2. (intransitive, obsolete) To adduce evidence, to provide proof.

Conjugation

References

Further reading

• argument on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• argument of a function on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• argument (literature) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• argument (linguistics) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• argument (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• argument in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• argument in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin arg?mentum.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /??.?u?ment/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /?r.?u?men/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /a?.?u?ment/

Noun

argument m (plural arguments)

1. argument (reason)
2. (computing) argument
3. plot, storyline
4. (mathematics) argument
5. (grammar) argument

Related terms

• argumentar

Further reading

• “argument” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “argument” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “argument” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “argument” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?ar?um?nt]

Noun

argument m

1. argument (fact or statement used to support a proposition)

Declension

Derived terms

• pseudoargument
• protiargument

Related terms

• argumentace

See also

• parametr m

Further reading

• argument in P?íru?ní slovník jazyka ?eského, 1935–1957
• argument in Slovník spisovného jazyka ?eského, 1960–1971, 1989

Danish

Noun

argument n (singular definite argumentet, plural indefinite argumenter)

1. argument

Declension

Related terms

• argumentere

References

• “argument” in Den Danske Ordbog

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin arg?mentum, from argu? (“prove, argue”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a?.?y.m??/

Noun

argument m (plural arguments)

1. argument

2. (grammar) argument of a verb, phrase syntactically connected to a verb (object and subject)

Derived terms

• argumentaire
• argumenter
  • argumentation

Related terms

• arguer

See also

• (grammar): valence

Further reading

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

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin argumentum

Noun

argument n (definite singular argumentet, indefinite plural argument or argumenter, definite plural argumenta or argumentene)

1. argument

Related terms

• argumentere
• argumentasjon

References

• “argument” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin argumentum

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?r???m?nt/

Noun

argument n (definite singular argumentet, indefinite plural argument, definite plural argumenta)

1. argument

Related terms

• argumentasjon

References

• “argument” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

From Latin arg?mentum

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ar??u.m?nt/

Noun

argument m inan

1. point, argument (fact or statement used to support a proposition)
2. (philosophy, logic, mathematics, programming) argument

Declension

Synonyms

• uzasadnienie, racja, pod?o?e, podstawa, przes?anka, powód,
• dowód, operand, parametr

Related terms

• argumentacja

Further reading

• argument in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

From French argument, from Latin argumentum.

Noun

argument n (plural argumente)

1. argument

Declension

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ar??ment/
• Hyphenation: ar?gu?ment

Noun

argùment m (Cyrillic spelling ?????????)

1. argument (fact or statement used to support a proposition)
2. (philosophy, logic, mathematics, programming) argument

Declension

Swedish

Pronunciation

Noun

argument n

1. an argument supporting a stance
2. (mathematics) an argument; an independent variable passed to a function
3. (programming) an argument; a variable passed to a function

Declension

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.