entry
ethics
/ˈɛθɪks/Philosophical study of moral principles and conduct
From Greek ethos (Character).
from Late Latin ethica
from Middle French ethique
from Middle English etik
Word Ancestry
from Late Latin ethica
from Middle French ethique
from Middle English etik
Before ethics became a university subject, êthos (ἦθος) could mean something as ordinary as a settled habit or customary way of life. Aristotle turned that everyday word into philosophical equipment, most famously in Ta Ethika, his works on how human beings ought to live. Centuries later, English borrowed the idea through Late Latin ethica, Middle French ethique, and Middle English etik, eventually preserving the plural form as “ethics.” The same Greek family produced ethos, now used for the characteristic spirit of a people, an age, or even a company—and it sits beside words such as ethicist and eugenics, the latter coined by Francis Galton in 1883 on the model of “ethics.” So ethics is not originally a list of commandments; it is the accumulated character of a life, inspected under a philosopher’s lamp.
The Story
Before ethics became a university subject, êthos (ἦθος) could mean something as ordinary as a settled habit or customary way of life. Aristotle turned that everyday word into philosophical equipment, most famously in Ta Ethika, his works on how human beings ought to live. Centuries later, English borrowed the idea through Late Latin ethica, Middle French ethique, and Middle English etik, eventually preserving the plural form as “ethics.” The same Greek family produced ethos, now used for the characteristic spirit of a people, an age, or even a company—and it sits beside words such as ethicist and eugenics, the latter coined by Francis Galton in 1883 on the model of “ethics.” So ethics is not originally a list of commandments; it is the accumulated character of a life, inspected under a philosopher’s lamp.
Modern Usage
A humorous or cynical reference to moral rules viewed as impractical or ultimately meaningless
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries portraying ethics as obstructing profit or as an ultimately meaningless belief
Kin & Kindred
From 'ethos'·Character, custom, or moral disposition
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary