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