ἦθος
ēthos
G2239 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Customary practice, habitual conduct; refers to established usages, social conventions, or moral habits of a group or community. Can denote character formed by habit in certain philosophical and literary contexts. In the plural (ἤθη), refers to collected customs, conventions, or inherited practices of a particular people or group.
Semantic Range
customary practice, inherited tradition, social norm, moral character, manners, disposition, ethos (in philosophical or rhetorical context)
Root / Etymology
From ἔθος (ethos), meaning 'habit' or 'custom,' with an initial aspirate strengthening (ἦ). Shares its root with ἔθος but may convey a slightly broader or more formal sense. No clear borrowing from other languages; purely Greek derivation.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, ἦθος primarily denoted the established customs, usages, or manners of a group, sometimes extending to the internalized moral character shaped by repeated practice. In Aristotelian philosophy, especially in the Nicomachean Ethics, ἦθος distinguished the sphere of ethical character from rational or intellectual virtues, signifying traits acquired through habituation—contrasted with φύσις (nature) and νόμος (law). In literary criticism (notably Aristotle's Poetics and Rhetoric), ἦθος refers to the character or disposition portrayed in drama and rhetoric. In the Hellenistic and New Testament periods, the plural ἤθη commonly denotes the collective customs and traditions (e.g., community regulations, ancestral practices, modes of conduct) of a civic or religious group. The Septuagint employs ἦθος and ἤθη to translate Hebrew terms relating to custom or practice, though not as frequently as other terms like νόμος. Most standard English translations render ἦθος as 'customs,' 'habits,' or 'manners,' which captures its general sense but may understate its philosophical nuance—especially regarding the internalization of repeated practice as moral disposition. Unlike νόμος (law) or ἔθος (custom), ἦθος emphasizes organic, habitual formation of character or collective norms rather than externally imposed statutes.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a strengthened form of ἔθος; usage, i.e. (plural) moral habits:--manners.
Root Family
ἦθος (ēthos) — custom, habit, practice, moral character
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2239-01 |
ἤθη | ethe | N ACC N PL |
morals | customary practices | customary practices | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2239-01 |
1 Corinthians 15:33 | ἤθη | ethe | N ACC N PL |
morals | customary practices | customary practices |