ethos
Use Ethos in a sentence
θɒs, ˈi 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 his or her thought or emotion.
Origin:
1850–55; < Greek: custom, habit, character
1850–55; < Greek: custom, habit, character
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To ethos
Collins
World English Dictionary
ethos (ˈiːθɒs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| the distinctive character, spirit, and attitudes of a people, culture, era, etc: the revolutionary ethos | |
| [C19: from Late Latin: habit, from Greek] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Ethos
is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
ethos
revived by Palgrave in 1851 from Gk. ethos "moral character, nature, disposition, habit, custom," from suffixed form of PIE base *s(w)e- (see idiom). An important concept in Aristotle (e.g. "Rhetoric" II xii-xiv).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
ethos
in rhetoric, the character or emotions of a speaker or writer that are expressed in the attempt to persuade an audience. It is distinguished from pathos, which is the emotion the speaker or writer hopes to induce in the audience. The two words were distinguished in a broader sense by ancient Classical authors, who used pathos when referring to the violent emotions and ethos to mean the calmer ones. Ethos was the natural disposition or moral character, an abiding quality, and pathos a temporary and often violent emotional state. For Renaissance writers the distinction was a different one: ethos described character and pathos an emotional appeal.
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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
He lacks ethos and that weakens his argument.
Ridiculous or not, that notion created an us-against-the-world ethos that hasn't gone away, despite the company's success.
But since they make up the vast majority of libertarians, it's easy to see why that ethos is so marginalized in the culture.
Part of the company ethos is to listen to fans.
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