Expertlatin
- What is the origin of because?
- What is the purpose of the word because?
- When did because become a word?
What is the origin of because?
because (conj.) late 14c., from phrase bi cause, introducing a subordinate clause or phrase, "by cause, for the reason that," from by (prep.) + cause (n.). Modeled on French par cause. Originally often followed by that or why.
What is the purpose of the word because?
Because: meaning and use
Because introduces clauses of cause and reason. It is a subordinating conjunction. This means that the clause it introduces is a subordinate clause, which needs a main clause to make it complete.
When did because become a word?
When it entered Middle English around 1305, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, our word “because” was an adverbial phrase consisting of a preposition and a noun, “by cause.” Chaucer, for example, wrote in The Franklin's Tale (circa 1395): “By cause that he was hir neghebour.”
