ethic
noun OPAL W
/ˈeθɪk/
/ˈeθɪk/
- ethics[plural] moral principles that control or influence a person’s behaviour
- professional/business/medical ethics
- to draw up a code of ethics
- He began to question the ethics of his position.
- [singular] a system of moral principles or rules of behaviour
- The ethic of personal achievement is very strong in western societies.
- ethics[uncountable] the branch of philosophy that deals with moral principles
Word Originlate Middle English (denoting ethics or moral philosophy; also used attributively): from Old French éthique, from Latin ethice, from Greek (hē) ēthikē (tekhnē) ‘(the science of) morals’, based on ēthos ‘nature, disposition’, (plural) ‘customs’.