because
adverb
- for reason that
conjunction
- for the reason that; the fact that
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /bɪkəz/ / /bɪˈkɒz/ / /bɪˈkʌz/
adv
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bi Proto-West Germanic *bī Old English bī Middle English by Proto-Italic *kaussā Old Latin caussa Latin causabor. Old French causebor. Middle English cause Middle English bi cause English because From Middle English bi cause, from bi (“by”) + cause, modelled on Old French par cause.
- On account, for sake [with of].
“My life is ruined because of you!”
- For the reason [with that].
“And God blessed the seuenth day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his worke, which God created and made.”
conj
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bi Proto-West Germanic *bī Old English bī Middle English by Proto-Italic *kaussā Old Latin caussa Latin causabor. Old French causebor. Middle English cause Middle English bi cause English because From Middle English bi cause, from bi (“by”) + cause, modelled on Old French par cause.
- By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that.
“I hid myself because I was afraid.”
“I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West.”
- As is known, inferred, or determined from the fact that.
“It must be broken, because I pressed the button and nothing happened.”
“I don't think he is a nice person, because he yells at people for no reason.”
- So that, in order that.
“Simon[…]set the house on fire where he was born, because nobody should point at it.”
intj
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bi Proto-West Germanic *bī Old English bī Middle English by Proto-Italic *kaussā Old Latin caussa Latin causabor. Old French causebor. Middle English cause Middle English bi cause English because From Middle English bi cause, from bi (“by”) + cause, modelled on Old French par cause.
- Used alone to refuse to provide a full answer to a question begun with "why", usually taken as an anapodoton of the elided full phrase "Because I said so".
prep
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bi Proto-West Germanic *bī Old English bī Middle English by Proto-Italic *kaussā Old Latin caussa Latin causabor. Old French causebor. Middle English cause Middle English bi cause English because From Middle English bi cause, from bi (“by”) + cause, modelled on Old French par cause.
- On account of, because of.
“He rejected me because revenge, I guess.”
“It doesn't work because reasons.”