It's Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 10th.
Today's word is ethos, spelled E-T-H-O-S.
Ethos is a noun.
It refers to the guiding beliefs of a person, group, or organization.
Here's the word used in a sentence from Lithub.com by Tomi Obaro.
Audrey Lorde's parents, Alexis DeVaux writes in Warrior Poet,
her excellent 2004 biography of Lorde, operated under a familiar immigrant ethos.
Upward mobility, proper behavior, good morals,
an emphasis on education, and a strong work ethic were stressed.
In Greek, ethos means custom or character.
as originally used by Aristotle, it referred to a person's character or personality,
especially with respect to a balance between passion and caution.
In English, ethos is used today to refer to the practices or values that distinguish one person,
organization, or society from others.
In rhetoric,
ethos is often studied alongside pathos and logos as a technique to successfully persuade an audience.
Related terms in the English language include ethics,
meaning a branch of philosophy dealing with what is morally right or wrong,
and ethology,
meaning a branch of knowledge dealing with human character and with its formation and evolution.