My digital
Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary gives only two definitions of the noun “actuation”—(1) “to put into mechanical action or motion,” and (2) “to move to action.” In contrast, it has 10 definitions in all for the noun “action,” which I’ll be quoting in full later in this posting.
While it’s clear as you say that “actuation” does refer to causation, I must say that in my own experience, I haven’t encountered a usage of “actuation” in Filipino English in the sense of its being a pompous substitute for the plainer and simpler word “action.” Instead, I would often observe Filipino usage of “actuation” in a negative or derogatory sense—of action done either to deceive observers, as in “By being so evasive and fidgety in open court, her
actuations belied her claims of innocence,” and of action out of the normal, as in “The beleaguered official’s
actuations at the press conference clearly showed mental instability.” Of course, pomposity can be evoked when we use “actuation” in a sentence like, say, “By her
actuations, she seems to think that she is the Queen of England,” but then the aspect of pomposity isn’t intrinsic to that word but to the sense of the sentence itself.
As opposed to the two senses of “actuation,” here now are the 10 definitions of “action” by my
Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate:
action
1 : the initiating of a proceeding in a court of justice by which one demands or enforces one's right; also : the proceeding itself
2 : the bringing about of an alteration by force or through a natural agency
3 : the manner or method of performing: a : an actor’s or speaker’s deportment or expression by means of attitude, voice, and gesture b : the style of movement of the feet and legs (as of a horse) c : a function of the body or one of its parts
4 : an act of will
5 a : a thing done : DEED b : the accomplishment of a thing usually over a period of time, in stages, or with the possibility of repetition c plural : BEHAVIOR, CONDUCT <unscrupulous actions> d : INITIATIVE, ENTERPRISE <a man of action>
6 a (1) : an engagement between troops or ships (2) : combat in war <gallantry in action> b (1) : an event or series of events forming a literary composition (2) : the unfolding of the events of a drama or work of fiction : PLOT (3) : the movement of incidents in a plot c : the combination of circumstances that constitute the subject matter of a painting or sculpture
7 a : an operating mechanism b : the manner in which a mechanism or instrument operates
8 a : the price movement and trading volume of a commodity, security, or market b : the process of betting including the offering and acceptance of a bet and determination of a winner c : financial gain or an opportunity for financial gain <a piece of the action>
9 : sexual activity
10 : the most vigorous, productive, or exciting activity in a particular field, area, or group <they itch to go where the action is — D. J. Henahan>
