material cause

noun

Aristotelianism.

1. cause8b

Word History and Origins

Origin of material cause¹

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".

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After the bill was slimmed down — leaving provisions such as one restoring the existing statute, which had been rendered ineffective by a subsequent law, and another requiring the franchiser to establish material cause before terminating the franchise — the industry group withdrew its opposition, allowing swift passage.

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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.

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

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There are no formal or final causes, and the material cause never varies.

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