Moral

Moral, mor′al, adj. of or belonging to the manners or conduct of men: conformed to right, ethical, virtuous: capable of knowing right and wrong: subject to the moral law: instructing with regard to morals: supported by evidence of reason or probability—opp. to Demonstrative: belonging to the mind, or to the will: (Shak.) moralising.—n. in pl. manners: the doctrine or practice of the duties of life: moral philosophy or ethics: conduct, esp. sexual conduct: in sing. the practical lesson given by anything: an emblem or allegory: (slang) a certainty, an exact counterpart.—v.i. to moralise.—ns. Mor′aler (Shak.), a moraliser; Moralisā′tion, act of moralising, explanation in a moral sense.—v.t. Mor′alise, to apply to a moral purpose: to explain in a moral sense.—v.i. to speak or write on moral subjects: to make moral reflections.—ns. Mor′aliser; Mor′alism, a moral maxim; moral counsel: morality as distinct from religion; Mor′alist, one who teaches morals, or who practises moral duties: a merely moral as distinguished from a religious man: one who prides himself on his morality.—adj. Moralist′ic.—n. Moral′ity, quality of being moral: that in an action which renders it right or wrong: the practice of moral duties apart from religion: virtue: the doctrine which treats of actions as being right or wrong: ethics: a kind of drama which grew out of mysteries and miracle-plays, and continued in fashion till Elizabeth's time, in which allegorical representations of the virtues and vices were introduced as dramatis personæ.—adv. Mor′ally, in a moral manner: uprightly: to all intents and purposes, practically.—Moral agent, one who acts under a knowledge of right and wrong; Moral certainty, a likelihood so great as to be safely acted on, although not capable of being certainly proved; Moral defeat (see Moral victory); Moral faculty (see Moral sense); Moral law, a law or rules for life and conduct, founded on what is right and wrong: the law of conscience; Moral philosophy, the science which treats of the qualities of actions as being right or wrong, and the duty of mankind with regard to such actions; Moral sense, that power of the mind which knows or judges actions to be right or wrong, and determines conduct accordingly; Moral theology, ethics treated with reference to a divine source; Moral victory, a defeat in appearance, but in some important sense a real victory. [Fr.,—L. moralis—mos, moris, custom.]