Etymologically
Log in

morale

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the French word morale

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1637 Descartes, Discours de la méthode More words from the 17th century
Ultimate origin
Latin mōs
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin mōs
Latin mōrālis
French moral
Romanian moral
French morale
English morale
Romanian morală
Italian morale
Old French moral
English moral
Spanish moral
From the same root
Latin mōrātus ← mōs
Latin mōrigerus ← mōs
Latin mōrōsus ← mōs
Latin mōrālitās ← mōrālis
French immoral ← moral
English immoral ← moral

Pronunciation

Forms

morale f (plural morales)[1]

Etymology

It is from French moral, the feminine of the adjective used as a noun,[2][3][4] an ellipsis of a phrase such as “moral philosophy”.[5] The adjective is from Latin mōrālis (“concerning manners or morals”), from mōs (“custom, manner”).[4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a common noun it first appears in Descartes's Discours de la méthode (1637), for the science or doctrine that sets the rules of conduct.[2][3][5] The plural les Moralles had been the title of a treatise in 1530.[3][7]

Semantic evolution

Rey links the word's appearance with a time when morality was becoming secular and mœurs and moral were entering common use.[5] With Pascal (1658) it meant the body of rules of conduct accepted unconditionally; at the same time it named treatises of moral philosophy (Richelet, 1680–1688) and the moral lesson drawn from a work (La Fontaine, 1668), though leçon de morale is not recorded before 1769.[2][5][8] From the end of the 17th century it could also be a doctrine harmful to morals, as in Boileau's morale lubrique (1694).[2][5]

In 1752 the Trévoux dictionary recorded it for a reprimand, in faire la morale, often pejorative.[2][5] La morale de l'histoire is recorded by Littré in 1868,[8] and la morale est sauve, of a situation justified at the last moment, from 1904.[5] English took morale in 1752 for moral principles; its sense "confidence, spirit" (by 1831) comes from confusion with French le moral.[9]

Timeline

  • 1530 – Les Moralles is the title of a treatise.[3][7]
  • 1637 – Descartes uses morale for the doctrine of rules of conduct.[2][3]
  • 1658 – Pascal uses it for a body of rules held to be binding.[2][5]
  • 1668 – La Fontaine uses it for the lesson of a fable.[2][8]
  • 1688 – Richelet records it for a treatise of moral philosophy.[2]
  • 1690 – Its derivative moraliste appears.[5]
  • 1694 – Boileau's morale lubrique, a harmful doctrine.[2]
  • 1752 – The Trévoux dictionary records faire la morale “to lecture”.[2] English morale is recorded the same year.[2][9]
  • 1769 – First record of leçon de morale.[2][5]
  • 1868 – Littré records la morale de l'histoire.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Ethics, the science of good and evil and of human action as bound by duty: un traité de morale.[7][2]
  2. The set of rules of conduct held to be good absolutely, morality: des leçons de morale.[7][1]
  3. A particular moral code, of a person, school or group: une morale relâchée, la morale stoïcienne.[7][2]
  4. Faire la morale à quelqu'un: to lecture or reprimand someone.[7][2]
  5. The moral of a fable or story: la morale de l'histoire.[7][8]

Word family

  • moraliste

Usage notes

La morale (ethics) is distinct from le moral (a person's spirits); English morale took the second sense through confusion of the two.[9] The Anglo-Norman Dictionary records morale as a form of the noun moral from 1212, first for Gregory the Great's Moralia on the Book of Job and also for morality, correct conduct.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/3, 122a
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  10. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Morale.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/morale. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·