Mores
/ˈmɔːrɪz/noun
The customs, conventions, and accepted moral attitudes of a society.
Did you know?English *mores* was borrowed from Latin, where *mōrēs* literally meant “customs” or “ways,” and it survives in sociology as a word for the invisible ritual-script that tells people how to behave.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*meh₂-
“to measure, to be of proper measure”
Latin
Latin
mōs, mōrēs
“custom, usage, way of life”
Late Latin
Latin
mōrēs
“customs, morals, social habits”
16th Century
English
mores
“customs or manners of a people”
Modern English
English
mores
“the accepted customs and moral conventions of a society”