Ethos, according to The Oxford English Dictionary, is defined as “the characteristic spirit, prevalent tone of sentiment, of a people or community; the ‘genius’ of an institution or system”, although it originally has its roots in the Greek word ‘etho’ or “to be accustomed to.”(Miller 309, 310)
However, the word ethos has been translated to contain many different meanings within the English language. One such definition in accordance with the opinion of S. Michael Halloran is that the concept of ethos listens to accepted standards, rather than what is more modernly thought of as character unique to a certain individual. He states in his research that “the most concrete meaning given for the term in the Greek lexicon is ‘a habitual gathering place.”(Halloran 60) Halloran continues further to deduce that such a description might conjure up images of shared ideas and experiences, thus fortifying it as the foundation of character.
To clarify, his reference to the meaning of ethos as a habitual gathering place draws more attention to an inferred, rather than literal meaning. In a place where one might gather often, the opportunity for developing communal values indefinitely arises. These types of values are those which are established in the meaning of ethos.
Therefore, to be a good example of ethos, one must portray the types of traits that are most valued within a society. For example, those virtues as related to Athens would be “justice, courage, temperance, magnificence, magnanimity, liberality, gentleness, prudence, (and) wisdom.”(Halloran 60) (source Wiki 09)
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