Etymology: < moral adj., in specific senses frequently after uses as noun in classical Latin and post-classical Latin and in Middle French and French of forms of the corresponding adjectives.Compare classical Latin mōrālia ‘moral philosopy’ (Seneca, 1st cent. a.d.; compare sense 4a), in post-classical Latin also ‘mores’ (4th cent.; compare sense 4b), and as the title of the work by St Gregory the Great (6th cent.; from early 8th cent. in British sources), post-classical Latin morale moral of a story (1610 in a British source), moralis moral philosopher (from c1205 in British sources), uses as noun respectively of neuter plural, neuter singular, and masculine singular of mōrālis moral adj. Uses as noun in French include: (as plural noun) ‘treatise on moral philosophy’ (early 16th cent. in Middle French as moralles (plural); 1532 as moraulx (plural) in Rabelais; French morales (plural) 1690; compare sense 4a); (as moral , masculine) ‘morality play’ (mid 16th cent.; compare sense 5a), ‘moral of a story’ (16th cent.), ‘collection of moral faculties, mental state’ (1752; compare sense 8), ‘ethics’ (1775), ‘spirit in the face of difficulties’ (1823; compare sense 8); (as morale , feminine) ‘science or doctrine determining rules of conduct’ (1637; compare sense 4b), ‘collection of rules of conduct’ (1658), ‘moral lesson drawn from a literary work, or a moral conclusion reached by a writer of such a work’ (1668; compare sense 3a). Compare also Anglo-Norman moral , as the title of the work by St Gregory the Great (early 13th cent.; also (plural) morales ; compare sense 1). Compare Italian morale (a1424), Spanish moral (c1330), Portuguese moral (15th cent. as moraaes , plural); also Dutch moraal (early 16th cent.), German Moral (16th cent.), Swedish moral (17th cent.), Danish moral . In rare singular use in sense 4a (see quot. 1828 at sense 4a) probably after German Moral in same sense. In sense 8 usually pronounced with stress on second syllable: compare earlier morale n. 2 and discussion at that entry.

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman and Middle French moral (late 13th cent. in Old French in phrase vertu morale : see moral virtue n.; c1370 modifying other nouns; 1403 in philosophie morele ; late 17th cent. in sense ‘founded on opinion, sentiment or belief and not on meticulous facts or reasoning’; mid 18th cent. in sense ‘relating to the soul or spirit, as opposed to the physical’), and their etymon classical Latin mōrālis concerned with ethics, moral < mōr- , mōs custom (plural mōrēs habits, morals (compare mores n.); of unknown origin) + -ālis -al suffix¹. Classical Latin mōrālis was formed by Cicero ( De Fato ii. i) as a rendering of ancient Greek ἠθικός ethic adj. (mōrēs being the accepted Latin equivalent of ἤθη).Compare Italian morale decent, proper (late 13th cent.; early 14th cent. in sense ‘concerning modes of behaviour’), Spanish moral (c1330), Old Occitan moral (14th cent.), Portuguese moral (1525); also Dutch moreel (1889; < French moral , with alteration of the suffix), German moralisch (16th cent.), Swedish moralisk (17th cent.), Danish moralsk . In sense 2d after post-classical Latin moralis, from 5th cent. in this sense. In moral philosophy after classical Latin philosophia mōrālis, Middle French philosophie morele (1403; French philosophie morale). In moral philosopher after post-classical Latin philosophus moralis (from early 13th cent. in British sources, of Seneca); compare Middle French philosophes moriaux, plural (late 16th cent., used of the moralists of antiquity). With moral science compare French science morale (early 17th cent. or earlier; compare Anglo-Norman les sept sciences, qe sount logiciene, naturele, morale, [etc.], mid 14th cent.). With moral theology compare French théologie morale (1868 in Littré).

Etymology: < moral n. Compare earlier moralize v.