cause (kaws)

Any act or state of things that produces a certain effect, acce ory c. A c. that contributes to the production of an effect mainly due to another c. accidental c. See determining c. antecedent c. A remote or predisposing c. common c. 1. A c. that most usually gives rise to the result under consideration. 2. A c. that produces two or more effects, any one of which may erroneously be attributed to one of the others. determining c. A c. that gives efficiency to other c's, precipitating their action, efficient c. A c. that gives rise to the effect alone, independently of the action of other c's. e ential c. See efficient c. exciting c. See proximate c. exopathic c, external c. A c. that operates from without the organism. hidden c. A c. that is inappreciable. immediate c. See proximate c. internal c. A c. that exists within the organism, as in self-infection, mechanical C. A c. that operates mechanically. negative c. A c. consisting in the absence of some condition nece ary to the prevention of the effect, physical c. A c. acting in conformity to physical laws, physiological c. A c. that acts only with the cooperation of some physiological act or proce , pre dis ponent c, predisposing c. A c. that acts upon the organism in such a manner as to make it more readily susceptible to the action of an exciting c. proximate c. That one of two or more c's that comes into play last and produces its effect with comparative rapidity, remote c, secondary c. See ultimate c. specific c. A c. of a specific nature (e. g., a pathogenic microorganism), ultimate c. A c. that eventually proves operative with the cooperation of a proximate c. [Lat., causa.]