causeless

English

Etymology

From Middle English causelees, causeles; equivalent to cause +‎ -less.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɔːzləs/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

Adjective

causeless (comparative more causeless, superlative most causeless)

1. Having no obvious cause; fortuitous or inexplicable.

   Synonyms: by accident, incidental, random; see also Thesaurus:accidental

2. Groundless or unreasonable.
   • 1639, Thomas Fuller, “The Pilgrimes Arrivall at Constantinople, Entertainment, and Departure”, in The Historie of the Holy Warre, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck, one of the printers to the Universitie of Cambridge [and sold by John Williams, London], →OCLC, book I, pages 22–23:

     [H]e […] by his overcarefulneſſe and cauſeleſſe ſuſpicion, deprived himſelf of this benefit, and implunged himſelf in much juſt hatred for his unjuſt dealing and treachery.

   • 1641 (first performance), [John Denham], The Sophy. […], 2nd edition, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman, […], published 1667, →OCLC, Act III, page 36:

     Alas my fears are cauſless, and ungrounded, / Fantaſtick dreams, and melancholick fumes / Of crazy ſtomacks, and diſtempered brains: / Has this convinc'd you?

Derived terms

• causelessly
• causelessness

 

Translations

having no obvious cause

• Bulgarian: безпричинен (bg) (bezpričinen)
• Maori: pakupaku, huhuakore, huakore
• Telugu: నిష్కారణము (te) (niṣkāraṇamu)

groundless

• Bulgarian: неоснователен (bg) (neosnovatelen), необоснован (bg) (neobosnovan)
• Maori: pakupaku
• Polish: bezprzyczynowy (pl)
• Swedish: grundlös (sv), omotiverad (sv)
• Telugu: నిష్కారణము (te) (niṣkāraṇamu)

Anagrams

• sauceless