Definition of "causative" [caus•a•tive]

• Functioning as an agent or cause. (adjective)
• Expressing causation. Used of a verb or verbal affix. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "But atmospheric pollution has not normally been identified as a causative factor in diabetes and obesity, two of the nation's major health scourges -- that is until recently."
• "The TB bacterium was first identified as the causative agent of tuberculosis in 1882."
• "Prions, which are a special class of proteins, are best known as causative factors for mad cow and other neurodegenerative diseases."