ethical: [17] The underlying meaning of Greek ēthos was ‘personal disposition’. It came ultimately from prehistoric Indo-European *swedh-, a compound formed from the reflexive pronoun *swe- ‘oneself’ and dhē- ‘put’ (from which English gets do). Gradually the meaning broadened out to ‘trait, character’ and then ‘custom’, or in the plural ‘manners’ or ‘morals’.
English acquired it, in the sense ‘distinctive characteristic’ (based on the usage of Aristotle), in the 19th century. The Greek derived adjective ēthikós entered English, via Latin ēthicus, as ethic in the 16th century. This had largely been replaced by ethical by the end of the 17th century, but it has survived as a noun (as in ‘the work ethic’), which actually predates the adjective in English by about two hundred years.
The plural usage ethics ‘science of morals’ dates from the beginning of the 17th century. => do
ethical (adj.)
c. 1600, "pertaining to morality," from ethic + -al (1). Related: Ethicality; ethically.
雙語例句
1. The prime minister has a blind spot on ethical issues.
這位首相無視道德問題。
來自柯林斯例句
2. My involvement has not been altogether, shall we say, ethical.
可以說，我的參與還不是完全合乎道德。
來自柯林斯例句
3. The consultancy offers advice on ethical tax-shelters.
這家咨詢公司教人如何合理避稅。
來自柯林斯例句
4. It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.