1. The characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations.
“My new job is at a company that prides itself on an ethos of kindness and optimism.”
“This group seems to embrace the hippie ethos, with an emphasis on peace, nonviolence, and nonconformity.”
“The academy was founded on an ethos of self-improvement and hard work.”
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Greek, late 17th century
Ethos, logos, and pathos are methods of persuasion (aka rhetorical appeals) originally taught by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. In this context, “ethos” refers to credibility, “pathos” implies emotion, and “logos” refers to logic. These are the principles that can be used to make a speech more persuasive. Outside of Aristotle’s teachings, “ethos” means the spirit of a culture or community. …
