Wordwyrt

ethical

/ˈeθɪkəl/EH-thih-kuhl
/ˈɛθɪkəl/EH-thih-kuhl

Meaningrelating to ethics

Common meaning: morally right

Other meanings: of moral principles

Journey through time

  1. Greekἠθικός‘moral’source
  2. Latinethicus‘moral’source
  3. Englishethic‘a set of moral principles’
  4. Englishformed in English from ethicethical‘morally right’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Formed in English from ethic + -al.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), ETHIC, p.196 · scan

Roots

  • ἦθος Greek “habit, custom; character”

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