English
morale
Morale comes from Latin mōrāli, from mōs ‘way or manner (of behaving)’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- ‘to measure’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*meh₁-1‘to measure’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*mōs1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōs1‘way or manner (of behaving)’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōrāli1
- Frenchc. 1600–presentmorale1
- Englishearliest quotation 2012morale1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English morale
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, Ken Belson, New York Times: “Proponents of the race — notably Mayor Michael R.…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*meh₁-Wiktionary, English morale‘to measure’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*mōsWiktionary, English moralereconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōsWiktionary, English morale‘way or manner (of behaving)’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōrāliWiktionary, English morale
- Frenchc. 1600–presentmoraleWiktionary, English morale
- Englishearliest quotation 2012moraleWiktionary, English morale. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, Ken Belson, New York Times: “Proponents of the race — notably Mayor Michael R.…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- ‘to measure’
month, measure, moon, meal, meter, sunny, dimension, immense, metric, metre, meta, mesa, moody, menstrual, asymmetry, commensurate, mensa, madder, metrology, mete, metis, menses, firman, metra, moodiness, 64 more
through Latin mōs ‘way or manner (of behaving)’
through French morale
Today it means
noun The mental and emotional state of a person or group, especially their level of confidence, enthusiasm, and loyalty with regard to a function or task.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “morale”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- / morale