ethic

[ eth-ik ]

/ ˈɛθ ɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ethic ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the body of moral principles or values governing or distinctive of a particular culture or group: the Christian ethic; the tribal ethic of the Zuni.

a complex of moral precepts held or rules of conduct followed by an individual: a personal ethic.

Nearby words

etherealize, etherege, etherify, etherize, ethernet, ethic, ethical, ethical culture, ethical hacker, ethical investment, ethical relativism

Origin of ethic

1350–1400; Middle English ethic, etic < Latin ēthicus < Greek ēthikós, equivalent to êth(os) ethos + -ikos -ic

Related forms

non·eth·ic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ethic

The ethic of reciprocity lies at its center: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
What Jesus Really Means|Jay Parini|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But if boxing is to become less perilous, the ethic has to change.
Boxers, Be Brave and Quit Before Your Brain Turns to Mush|Gordon Marino|October 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The question now was where were the equivalents for the various Muslim ethic groups?
NYPD on the Real ‘Enemies Within’: Going Undercover With Jihadis|Michael Daly|September 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Deep faith may resonate in our position, but it is the ethic of love that forces us to prayerfully reexamine our position.
Moss to African-American Clergy: Don’t Abandon Obama Over Same-Sex Marriage|Otis Moss III|May 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST

In its practical activity there are also two degrees, the Economic and the Ethic, related to each other in the same way.
Beauty and the Beast|Stewart A. McDowall
It is anarchism that is an ethic of slaves, for it is only the slave that chants the praises of anarchical liberty.
Tragic Sense Of Life|Miguel de Unamuno
The other ethic, which is much worse than all the rest, is slave-trade.
Riches of Grace|E. E. Byrum
It is amusing to observe the ease with which critics and historians despatch the Socratic ethic.
Philosophy and The Social Problem|Will Durant
Such conceptions do not minister to heavenly-mindedness, or beget lives of ethic beauty.
With the Guards' Brigade from Bloemfontein to Koomati Poort and Back|Edward P. Lowry

British Dictionary definitions for ethic

ethic

/ (ˈɛθɪk) /

noun

a moral principle or set of moral values held by an individual or groupthe Puritan ethic

adjective

another word for ethical

Word Origin for ethic

C15: from Latin ēthicus, from Greek éthikos, from ēthos custom; see ethos

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012