formal cause

[ fawr-muh l ]

/ ˈfɔr məl /

noun Aristotelianism.

See under cause(def 8b).

Origin of formal cause

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Words nearby formal cause

form stop, form word, formability, formad's kidney, formal, formal cause, formal equivalence, formal language, formal logic, formal mode, formal system

Definition for formal 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.

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, adjective caus·a·bil·i·ty, noun cause·less, adjective cause·less·ly, adverb

cause·less·ness, noun caus·er, noun non·caus·a·ble, adjective self-caused, adjective sub·cause, noun un·caus·a·ble, adjective un·der·cause, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cause

causality causation cause

British Dictionary definitions for formal cause

cause

/ (kɔːz) /

noun

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

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

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

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

a matter of widespread concern or importance the 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, adjective causability, noun causeless, adjective causer, noun

Word Origin for cause

C13: from Latin causa cause, reason, motive

Idioms and Phrases with formal cause

cause

In addition to the idioms beginning with cause

cause a commotion
cause raised eyebrows

also see:

lost cause

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

formal cause

noun Aristotelianism.

Origin of formal cause

Words nearby formal cause

Definition for formal 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 formal cause

noun

verb

Derived forms of cause

Word Origin for cause

Idioms and Phrases with formal cause