ethic

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: eth=ic

CIDE DICTIONARY

ethic, a. [L. ethicus, Gr. , fr. custom, usage, character, dwelling; akin to custom, Goth. sidus, G. sitte, Skr. svadh, prob. orig., one's own doing; sva self + dh to set: cf. F. éthique. See So, Do.].

 Of, or belonging to, morals; treating of the moral feelings or duties; containing percepts of morality; moral; as, ethic discourses or epistles; an ethical system; ethical philosophy.  [1913 Webster]
"The ethical meaning of the miracles."  [1913 Webster]

Ethical dative (Gram.), a use of the dative of a pronoun to signify that the person or thing spoken of is regarded with interest by some one; as, Quid mihi Celsus agit? How does my friend Celsus do?

ethic, n. 

•  the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group; as, the Puritan ethic.  [WordNet 1.5]
•  a system of principles governing morality and acceptable conduct.  [WordNet 1.5]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

ethic, n. & adj.
--n. a set of moral principles (the Quaker ethic).
--adj. = ETHICAL.

Etymology

ME f. OF {eacute}thique or L ethicus f. Gk ethikos (as ETHOS)