THE FIRST WORD

mores

PRONUNCIATION:

(MOHR-ayz) 

MEANING:

noun: Customs and conventions of a social group.

ETYMOLOGY:

Plural of Latin mos (custom). Earliest documented use: 1898.

USAGE:

"The Diamond Jubilee has prompted a slew of new royal biographies, making familiar points about how the monarchy has shrewdly adapted to modern mores."
The Death of Meritocracy; The Economist (London, UK); Feb 11, 2012.