Morale
/məˈræl/noun
The confidence, spirit, and emotional state of a person or group.
Did you know?English got morale from French as a philosophical word about the mind and character, and its deeper ancestor is Latin *moralis*, the same root that gave us *moral*—so it was born from the language of conduct, not battle.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mōs-
“custom, manner, way of acting”
Latin
Latin
mōs, mōr-
“custom, habit, usage”
Latin
Latin
morālis
“pertaining to character or proper conduct”
Old French
Old French
moral
“moral, intellectual, or spiritual condition”
18th Century
English
morale
“the mental or emotional condition of a person or group, especially with respect to confidence and discipline”