Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
ethnic category
ethnic cleansing
ethnic minority
ethnicity
ethno-
ethnobotany
ethnocentrism
ethnogenesis
ethnography
ethnohistory
ethnolinguistics
ethnology
ethnomethodology
ethnomusicology
ethnonationalist
ethology
ethos
Click to move down the list of words
Print Preview
See pronunciation key
Search for "ethics" in all of MSN Encarta
E-mail this entry
Blog about this entry on MSN Spaces
Download the MSN Encarta Right-Click Dictionary

ethics

eth·ics [ éthiks ]


noun 
Definition:
 
study of morality's effect on conduct: the study of moral standards and how they affect conduct ( takes a singular verb )



plural noun 
Definition:
 
code of morality: a system of moral principles governing the appropriate conduct for a person or group ( takes a plural verb )

[15th century. Via Old French ethiques< Greek ēthika< ēthikos (see ethic)]
Advertisement

Also on Encarta
Englishtown: Learn English online
Our Partners
Also on MSN
Encarta Message Boards (© Rubberball/Jupiterimages)
MSN Shopping
Encarta RSS Feeds
© 2008 Microsoft