material cause

American  

noun

Aristotelianism.

1. cause8b

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Etymology

Origin of material cause

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

The tribunal said that her protected disclosures were "an effective or material cause of her treatment".

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2023

While de Duve appreciated the poetic way the writers of Genesis interpreted the shortcomings of human nature, he believed that Natural Selection was the obvious material cause.

From Forbes • May 8, 2013

There is no functional reason for the height of a 13th century cathedral nave either; such building goes beyond a simple equation of material cause and effect.

From Time Magazine Archive

As far as Aristotle was concerned, as we saw in Chapter 3, causal explanations had four components: the formal cause, the final cause, the material cause and the efficient cause.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

You can substitute lead piping for glass, so again the material cause is irrelevant; any pipe sealed at one end will work.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton