material cause

noun Aristotelianism.

Nearby words

mater-, materfamilias, materia alba, materia medica, material, material cause, material culture, material equivalence, material implication, material mode, materialise

Origin of material cause

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Definition for material cause (2 of 2)

cause

[ kawz ]

/ kɔz /

noun

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.

Related forms

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

Can be confusedcausality causation cause

Synonym study

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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 Formscausable, 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

Word Origin and History for material cause (1 of 2)

cause

late 14c., "produce an effect," also "impel, compel," from Old French causer "to cause" (13c.) and directly from Medieval Latin causare, from Latin causa "a cause; a reason; interest; judicial process, lawsuit," of unknown origin. Related: Caused; causing. Classical Latin causari meant "to plead, to debate a question."

Word Origin and History for material cause (1 of 2)

cause

c.1200, "reason for action, grounds for action; motive," from Old French cause "cause, reason; lawsuit, case in law" (12c.), and directly from Latin causa "a cause; a reason; interest; judicial process, lawsuit," of unknown origin.

In English, sense of "matter of concern; side taken in controversy" is from c.1300; that of "the source of an effect" is early 14c.; meaning "reason for something taking place" is late 14c. Cause célèbre "celebrated legal case" is 1763, from French. Cause why? "for what reason?" is in Chaucer.

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

material cause

noun Aristotelianism.

RELATED CONTENT

Nearby words

Origin of material cause

Definition for material cause (2 of 2)

cause

noun

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

Origin of cause

Synonym study

British Dictionary definitions for material cause

cause

noun

verb

Word Origin for cause

Word Origin and History for material cause (1 of 2)

cause

Word Origin and History for material cause (1 of 2)

cause

Idioms and Phrases with material cause

cause