cat|tle /kæ t ə l/ N‑PLURAL Cattle are cows and bulls. □ …the finest herd of beef cattle for two hundred miles.
ca t|tle grid (cattle grids ) N‑COUNT A cattle grid is a set of metal bars in the surface of a road which prevents cattle and sheep from walking along the road, but allows people and vehicles to pass. [BRIT ] in AM, use cattle guard
ca t|tle guard (cattle guards ) N‑COUNT A cattle guard is the same as a cattle grid . [AM ]
cattle|man /kæ t ə lmæn/ (cattlemen ) N‑COUNT A cattleman is a man who looks after or owns cattle, especially in North America or Australia.
ca t|tle mar|ket (cattle markets )
1 N‑COUNT A cattle market is a market where cattle are bought and sold.
2 N‑COUNT If you refer to an event such as a disco or a beauty contest as a cattle market , you disapprove of it because women are considered there only in terms of their sexual attractiveness. [DISAPPROVAL ]
ca t|tle prod (cattle prods ) N‑COUNT A cattle prod is an object shaped like a long stick. Farmers make cattle move in a particular direction by pushing the cattle prod against the bodies of the animals. □ …an electric cattle prod.
cat|ty /kæ ti/ (cattier , cattiest ) ADJ If someone, especially a woman or girl, is being catty , they are being unpleasant and unkind. [INFORMAL ] □ …catty remarks.
cat|walk /kæ twɔːk/ (catwalks )
1 N‑COUNT [usu sing] At a fashion show, the catwalk is a narrow platform that models walk along to display clothes.
2 N‑COUNT A catwalk is a narrow bridge high in the air, for example between two parts of a tall building, on the outside of a large structure, or over a stage.
Cau|ca|sian /kɔːke I ʒən/ (Caucasians )
1 ADJ A Caucasian person is a white person. [FORMAL ] □ …a 25-year-old Caucasian male. ● N‑COUNT A Caucasian is someone who is Caucasian. □ Ann Hamilton was a Caucasian from New England.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Anthropologists use Caucasian to refer to someone from a racial grouping coming from Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. [TECHNICAL ] □ …blue eyes and Caucasian features. ● N‑COUNT A Caucasian is someone who is Caucasian.
cau|cus /kɔː kəs/ (caucuses ) N‑COUNT A caucus is a group of people within an organization who share similar aims and interests or who have a lot of influence. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] …the Black Caucus of minority congressmen.
caught /kɔː t/ Caught is the past tense and past participle of catch .
caul|dron /kɔː ldrən/ (cauldrons ) N‑COUNT A cauldron is a very large, round metal pot used for cooking over a fire. In stories and fairy tales, a cauldron is used by witches for their spells.
cau|li|flow|er /kɒ liflaʊə r , [AM ] kɔː -/ (cauliflowers ) N‑VAR Cauliflower is a large round vegetable that has a hard white centre surrounded by green leaves.
caus|al /kɔː z ə l/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If there is a causal relationship between two things, one thing is responsible for causing the other thing. [FORMAL ] □ Rawlins stresses that it is impossible to prove a causal link between the drug and the deaths.
cau|sal|ity /kɔːzæ l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT Causality is the relationship of cause and effect. [FORMAL ] □ …the chain of causality that produces an earthquake.
cau|sa|tion /kɔːze I ʃ ə n/
1 N‑UNCOUNT The causation of something, usually something bad, is the factors that have caused it. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] The gene is only part of the causation of illness.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Causation is a study of the factors involved in causing something. [FORMAL ]
causa|tive /kɔː zət I v/ ADJ [ADJ n] Causative factors are ones which are responsible for causing something. [FORMAL ] □ Obesity is the main causative factor in Type 2 diabetes.
cause ◆◆◆ /kɔː z/ (causes , causing , caused )
1 N‑COUNT The cause of an event, usually a bad event, is the thing that makes it happen. □ [+ of ] Smoking is the biggest preventable cause of death and disease. □ The causes are a complex blend of local and national tensions.
2 VERB To cause something, usually something bad, means to make it happen. □ [V n] Attempts to limit family size among some minorities are likely to cause problems. □ [V n n] This was a genuine mistake, but it did cause me some worry. □ [V n to-inf] …a protein that gets into animal cells and attacks other proteins, causing disease to spread. □ [V -ed] Experts are assessing the damage caused by a fire at the aircraft factory.
3 N‑UNCOUNT [oft N to-inf] If you have cause for a particular feeling or action, you have good reasons for feeling it or doing it. □ [+ for ] Only a few people can find any cause for celebration. □ Both had much cause to be grateful.
4 N‑COUNT A cause is an aim or principle which a group of people supports or is fighting for. □ Refusing to have one leader has not helped the cause.
5 → see also lost cause
6 PHRASE You use cause and effect to talk about the way in which one thing is caused by another. □ …fundamental laws of biological cause and effect.
7 PHRASE If you say that something is in a good cause or for a good cause , you mean that it is worth doing or giving to because it will help other people, for example by raising money for charity. □ The Raleigh International Bike Ride is open to anyone who wants to raise money for a good cause. COLLOCATIONS cause NOUN