final cause

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The leading pathologist said the final cause of death was "not clear" due to the numerous injuries that could have led to Alfie's death.

From BBC • Oct. 4, 2023

The next day, Mr. Ketler’s body was taken to the city’s morgue, where the final cause of death was established.

From New York Times • Jul. 3, 2022

Each final cause leads to another, until we get to the first cause or prime mover.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said the ATF’s finding is preliminary, and that determining a final cause could take up to two months.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 31, 2020

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 "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton