Meaning

noun motivation based on ideas of right and wrong

noun the philosophical study of moral values and rules

noun the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group

originFrom Middle English etik, from Middle French ethique, from Late Latin ethica, from Ancient Greek ἠθική (ēthikḗ), from ἠθικός (ēthikós, “of or for morals, moral, expressing character”), from ἦθος (êthos, “character, moral nature”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0