Lexical Definition

‎αἰτία‎ aitía (ahee-tee'-a) cause/charge ^G:N-F
from the same as ‎αἰτέω‎

accusation, case, cause, crime, fault, (wh-)ere(-fore).

• a cause (as if asked for), i.e. (logical) reason (motive, matter), (legal) crime (alleged or proved)

Abbott-Smith

αἰτία, -ας, ἡ, [in LXX: Ge 4:13 (עָוֹן), Pr 28:17 (עָשַׁק), and freq. in Wi, II, III Mac;]
1. cause, reason, occasion, case: Mt 19:3, Lk 8:47, Ac 10:21 22:24 28:20, II Ti 1:6, 12, Tit 1:13, He 2:11 ; εἰ οὕτως ἐστιν ἡ αἰ. (cf. Lat. si ita res se habet, and v. MM. VGT, s.v.), Mt 19:10.
2. In forensic sense,
(a) accusation: Ac 25:18, 27;
(b) cause for punishment, crime: Mt 27:37, Mk 15:26, Jo 18:38 19:4, 6, Ac 13:28 23:28 28:18.†
SYN.: ἔλεγχος, a charge, whether moral or judicial, which has been proven, αἰ. is an accusation simply, false or true.

Abbott-Smith References

Liddell-Scott-Jones

αἰτία-α, ἡ,

responsibility, mostly in bad sense, guilt, blame, or the imputation thereof, i.e. accusation, first in [Refs 8th c.BC+] —Phrases: αἰτίααν ἔχειν bear responsibility for, τινός[Refs 5th c.BC+]; but usually to be accused, τινός of a crime, φόνου[Refs 5th c.BC+]: with infinitive, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; followed by ὡς.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; by ὡς with participle, [Refs]; ὑπό τινος by some one, [αἰτίαα ἔχει τινά 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 5.70, 71; αἰ. φεύγειν τινός 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Philoctetes” 1404">Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν αἰτίαᾳ εἶναι or γίγνεσθαι, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; αἰτίααν ὑπέχειν lie under a charge, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; λαβεῖν ἀπό τινος[αἰτίααις ἐνέχεσθαι 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Crito” 52a; αἰτίααις περιπίπτειν 5th c.BC: Lysias Orator 7.1; εἰς αἰτίααν ἐμπίπτειν 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Theaetetus” 150a; αἰτίαας τυγχάνειν 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator “Epistulae” 2.2; ἐκτὸς αἰτίαας κυρεῖν 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Prometheus Vinctus” 332">Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν αἰτίαῃ ἔχειν hold one guilty, [αἰτίαας ἔχειν 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 2.60, etc.; ἐν αἰτίαᾳ βάλλειν 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Tyrannus” 656">Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὴν αἰτίααν ἐπιφέρειν τινί impute the fault to one, [αἰτίααν νέμειν τινί 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Ajax” 28; ἐπάγειν 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 18.283; προσβάλλειν τινί 5th c.BC: Antipho Orator 3.2.4">Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἀνατιθέναι, προστιθέναι, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἀπολύειν τινὰ τῆς αἰτίαης to acquit of guilt, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

__2 in forensic oratory, invective without proof (opposed to ἔλεγχος), [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__3 in good sense, εἰ.. εὖ πράξαιμεν, αἰτίαα θεοῦ the credit is his, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; δι᾽ ὅντινα αἰτίααν ἔχουσιν Ἀθηναῖοι βελτίους γεγονέναι are reputed to have become better, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὧν.. πέρι αἰτίααν ἔχεις διαφέρειν in which you are reputed to excel, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; οἳ.. ἔχουσι ταύτην τὴν αἰ. who have this reputation, [αἰτίααν λαμβάνειν 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Leges” 624a. ">Refs 5th c.BC+]
__4 expostulation, μὴ ἐπ᾽ ἔχθρᾳ τὸ πλέον ἢ αἰτίαᾳ[Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II cause, δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίαην ἐπολέμησαν[Refs 5th c.BC+] {αἰτιάζομαι}, etc.; on the four causes of [αἰτίαα ἡ κοινωνία [prev. author] “R.” 464b:">Refs 5th c.BC+] — _dative_ αἰτίαᾳ for the sake of, κοινοῦ τινος ἀγαθοῦ[αἰτίαα}">Refs 5th c.BC+] in the sense of cause, not in that of accusation.
__III occasion, motive, αἰτίααν ῥοαῖσι Μοισᾶν ἐνέβαλε gave them a the me for song, [αἰτίααν παρέχειν 2nd c.AD: Lucianus Sophista “Tyr.” 13. ">Refs 5th c.BC+]
__IV head, category under which a thing comes, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__V case in dispute, ἡ αἰ. τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μετὰ τῆς γυναικός[NT]

_{LSJ Scripture Refs: Matt.10.10}