Where does “morals” come from?
Morals derives from Middle English moral, from Old French moral, from Latin moralis, formed from Latin mōs (custom, manner) with the suffix -alis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mē-.
morals (English): plural of moral
Ancestry of “morals”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | moral | Of or relating to principles of right and wrong... |
| 2 | Spanish | moral | moral; morals, standard; morale |
| 3 | Spanish | mora | a mulberry, a mulberry fruit; default; mora |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | mora | delay, or any duration of time; hindrance |
| 5 | Latin | mōrum | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μόρον | black mulberry; blackberry |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mórom | mulberry, blackberry |