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".

From BBC

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.

From New York Times

Thus if I construct a table, the formal cause is the design I have in mind; the final cause is my desire to have somewhere to eat my meals; the material cause is various pieces of wood; and the efficient causes are a saw and a hammer.

From Literature

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 Literature

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

From Literature