Antonym for result

[sethmachine]

Hi,

Suppose we have an event.

After the event concludes, we get a new state which is called the result.

But what do we call the state before the event, that caused the event?

I found these antonyms, but none of them really get the meaning I want (something like pre vs post is what I am looking for).

These ones just don't work.

eventCause???
eventOrigin???
eventBeginning
eventCommencement???

which one of these sounds most counterpart to

eventResult: the state resulting from the event

I am leaning towards eventCause (but why do we say "cause and effect" and not "cause and result?").

 

[Pharaoh_]

Unlike the popular "let's search", I will tell you my own opinion. The literal and absolute antonym could be 'beginning'. Result is a goal-oriented action, otherwise it's just a consequence. For your particular example, the 'cause' sounds good to me (the 'origin' is also accurate, but in my head it doesn't imply an agent, an actor, unlike 'cause').
However, in scientific terms, I'd say 'process': a process leads to a result, to an effect.

 

[rulerofiron99]

Test
Control
Arguments (in programming terms)
Source

 

[sethmachine]

I am leaving towards "cause."

i.e. "eventCause" and "eventResult"

It sort of sounds like "prologue and epilogue" or "cause and effect."

The rest of the words don't have that clash with "result." Or at least not to my hears ^^.