Meaning of "cause"
Aristotle's word for "cause" is the Greek αἴτιον, aition. He uses this word in the sense meaning, an explanation for how a thing came about; in this context, "x is the aition of y" means "x makes a y".
The Greek word derives from the adjective aitios, meaning "responsible." It was originally applied to agents. However, by the time Aristotle used the term, it had come to qualify nonsentient items as well.
Read more about this topic: Four Causes
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