Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
Efficient cause — Cause Cause (k[add]z), n. [F. cause, fr. L. causa. Cf. {Cause}, v., {Kickshaw}.] 1. That which produces or effects a result; that from which anything proceeds, and without which it would not exist. [1913 Webster] Cause is substance exerting its… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
efficient cause — The working cause; that cause which produces effects or results. An intervening cause, which produces results which would not have come to pass except for its interposition, and for which, therefore, the person who set in motion the original… … Black's law dictionary
efficient cause — The working cause; that cause which produces effects or results. An intervening cause, which produces results which would not have come to pass except for its interposition, and for which, therefore, the person who set in motion the original… … Black's law dictionary
efficient cause — noun : the immediate agent in the production of an effect I have a free morning, and this is the efficient cause of the chance for talk with you H.J.Laski … Useful english dictionary
efficient cause — The primary responsible cause of a legal liability, even though, being first of a chain of events leading to the infliction of injury, it is most remote in point of time of any event preceding the injury and connected therewith. Stacy v Williams … Ballentine's law dictionary
efficient cause — Aristotelianism. See under cause (def. 8b). * * * … Universalium
efficient cause — See causes … Philosophy dictionary
efficient cause — noun Philosophy an agent that brings a thing into being or initiates a change … English new terms dictionary
Cause — • Cause, as the correlative of effect, is understood as being that which in any way gives existence to, or contributes towards the existence of, any thing; which produces a result; to which the origin of any thing is to be ascribed Catholic… … Catholic encyclopedia
cause — 1 n 1: something that brings about an effect or result the negligent act which was the cause of the plaintiff s injury ◇ The cause of an injury must be proven in both tort and criminal cases. actual cause: cause in fact in this entry but–for… … Law dictionary
