ethos

[ ee-thos, ee-thohs, eth-os, -ohs ]

noun

1. Sociology. the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period:

   In the Greek ethos the individual was highly valued.

2. the character or disposition of a community, group, person, etc.
3. the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character's action rather than their thought or emotion.

ethos

/ ˈiːθɒs /

noun

1. the distinctive character, spirit, and attitudes of a people, culture, era, etc

   the revolutionary ethos

Word History and Origins

Origin of ethos¹

First recorded in 1850–55; from Latin ēthos “character, portrayal of character,” from Greek êthos “custom, habit, disposition character”

Word History and Origins

Origin of ethos¹

C19: from Late Latin: habit, from Greek

Example Sentences

Officers who didn’t abide by a shoot-first, ask-questions-later ethos were ostracized or forced out of the unit, Colomey alleges.

From Los Angeles Times

Quinn recently shared that the restaurant’s ethos is “quality prevails.”

From Salon

What would you say is the ethos of Noortwyck?

From Salon

The ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha have a different ethos than the rest of the Divine Nine.

From Slate

Mr. Trump’s corruption and lawlessness go beyond elections: It’s his whole ethos.

From Salon

Related Words

• ideology
• mentality
• mindset
• spirit