material cause

a person or thing that acts, happens, or exists in such a way that some specific thing happens as a result; the producer of an effect: You have been the cause of much anxiety. What was the cause of the accident?

the reason or motive for some human action: The good news was a cause for rejoicing.

good or sufficient reason: to complain without cause; to be dismissed for cause.

Law.

a ground of legal action; the matter over which a person goes to law.
a case for judicial decision.

any subject of discussion or debate.

a principle, ideal, goal, or movement to which a person or group is dedicated: the Socialist cause; the human rights cause.

the welfare of a person or group, seen as a subject of concern: support for the cause of the American Indian.

Philosophy.

the end or purpose for which a thing is done or produced.
Aristotelianism. any of the four things necessary for the movement or the coming into being of a thing, namely a material (material cause), something to act upon it (efficient cause), a form taken by the movement or development (formal cause), and a goal or purpose (final cause).

verb (used with object), caused, caus·ing.

to be the cause of; bring about.

Origin of cause

1175–1225; Middle English < Latin causa reason, sake, case

SYNONYMS FOR cause

9 effect, make, create, produce.

synonym study for cause

1. Cause, occasion refer to the starting of effects into motion. A cause is an agency, perhaps acting through a long time, or a long-standing situation, that produces an effect: The cause of the quarrel between the two men was jealousy. An occasion is an event that provides an opportunity for the effect to become evident, or perhaps promotes its becoming evident: The occasion was the fact that one man's wages were increased. 3. See reason.

OTHER WORDS FROM cause

caus·a·ble, adjectivecaus·a·bil·i·ty, nouncause·less, adjectivecause·less·ly, adverb

cause·less·ness, nouncaus·er, nounnon·caus·a·ble, adjectiveself-caused, adjectivesub·cause, nounun·caus·a·ble, adjectiveun·der·cause, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cause

causality causation cause

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for material cause

cause

/ (kɔːz) /

noun

a person, thing, event, state, or action that produces an effect

grounds for action; motive; justificationshe had good cause to shout like that

the ideals, etc, of a group or movementthe Communist cause

the welfare or interests of a person or group in a disputethey fought for the miners' cause

a matter of widespread concern or importancethe cause of public health

a ground for legal action; matter giving rise to a lawsuit
the lawsuit itself

(in the philosophy of Aristotle) any of four requirements for a thing's coming to be, namely material (material cause), its nature (formal cause), an agent (efficient cause), and a purpose (final cause)

make common cause with to join with (a person, group, etc) for a common objective

verb

(tr) to be the cause of; bring about; precipitate; be the reason for

Derived forms of cause

causable, adjectivecausability, nouncauseless, adjectivecauser, noun

Word Origin for cause

C13: from Latin causa cause, reason, motive

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with material cause

cause

In addition to the idioms beginning with cause

cause a commotion
cause raised eyebrows

also see:

lost cause

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Origin of material cause

Words nearby material cause

Definition for material cause (2 of 2)

noun

verb (used with object), caused, caus·ing.

Origin of cause

SYNONYMS FOR cause

synonym study for cause

OTHER WORDS FROM cause

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cause

British Dictionary definitions for material cause

noun

verb

Derived forms of cause

Word Origin for cause

Idioms and Phrases with material cause