Meanings
nounfinal cause (plural final causes)
plural final causes
- naturalhuman sciencesThe purpose, goal, or end fulfilled by a thing.
In the production of a statue of Athena for the Parthenon, the bronze is the material cause; the shape and design of the statue is the formal cause; the sculptor is the efficient cause; the honor of the goddess (and the glory of Athens) is the final cause.
1998, R. J. Schork, Greek and Hellenic Culture in Joyce, →ISBN, page 176
Cite this entry
APA
final cause. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/final%20cause
MLA
“final cause.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/final%20cause. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “final cause,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/final%20cause.
Source: final cause on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.