A Latin term meaning a case, situation, or incident; used in phrases like 'casus belli' (an act that provokes war) and in legal/theological contexts.
From Latin 'casus' directly, the root word meaning 'a fall' or 'a case,' related to 'cadere' (to fall), metaphorically extended to mean an event or circumstance.
'Casus belli' is the Latin term for why countries claim they're going to war, but historians find that the real reasons are usually much messier and less formal than the official casus.
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