morale
(mɒˈrɑːl; as Fr. mɔral)
[a. F. morale, fem. of moral adj.: see moral a.]
1. Morality, morals. a. Moral principles or practice.
| 1752 Chesterfield Lett. to Son 6 Jan., If you would know their [sc. the Jesuits'] morale, read Pascal's Lettres Provinciales. 1839 J. Pardoe Beauties Bosphorus 22 Here the Frank traveller may see more of the habits and morale of the Turkish women than he can hope to do elsewhere. |
b. Moral teaching; lesson of conduct.
| 1812 Chalmers in Hanna Mem. (1849) I. xi. 280 There are two verses in the Bible which comprise the whole morale of a man's conduct in these circumstances,—‘Watch ye, stand fast’ [etc.]. 1824 Ibid. (1851) III. i. 8 You have already made full conveyance to my mind of the whole morale of this intended honour, and..it does not lie within the power of any matériel to enhance the impression of it. |
c. Moral aspect.
| 1834 Tait's Mag. I. 551/1 To look at the morale of any case was..out of the question. He looked to his brief. |
2. Moral condition; conduct, behaviour; esp. with regard to confidence, hope, zeal, submission to discipline, etc. Said of a body of persons engaged in some enterprise, esp. of troops.
[In Fr. the word used in this sense is not morale, but moral: see moral n. 6 b.]
| 1831 Gen. P. Thompson Exerc. (1842) I. 342 But the greatest advantage of all, on the side of the people, is the morale. Every soldier knows in his heart..that he was not made to fire upon the citizens. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. xxiii. 162 The morale in my case had a physical basis. 1866 Crump Banking ii. 71 To improve the morale of the entire mercantile community. 1870 Times 8 Aug. 5/3 The morale of the troops is excellent. |
3. attrib. and Comb. uses of sense 2, as morale-booster, an event, occurrence, or saying which raises one's spirits; also morale-boosting, morale-building, morale-raising vbl. ns. and adjs.
| 1943 J. B. Priestley Daylight on Saturday xxx. 234 Grandiose and impracticable schemes of morale-building. 1946 Nature 30 Nov. 777/2 Being more formally educational and only indirectly a morale-raising agent, instruction in it could be given not only by officers, but also [etc.]. 1956 C. Cockburn In Time of Trouble xvi. 205 The quick-firers of..controversy who..for obvious morale-building purposes prophesied that the current crisis..was the final crisis of American capitalism. 1959 Punch 2 Sept. 98/3 To find so many and such diverse people coming out into the open on your side is a superb morale-booster. 1960 Harper's Bazaar July 21/2 A beauty salon..has become a morale-boosting relaxant centre. 1961 Sunday Express 12 Mar. 10/3 Another morale-boosting idea for the troops. 1961 Guardian 3 May 8/3 The Festival..was a national morale-booster. 1970 C. Kersh Aggravations M. Ashe xi. 158 With that morale-boosting thought to end her day, my mother went to bed. 1970 ‘B. Mather’ Break in Line vi. 71 Even though it was a slip of the tongue..it was quite a morale booster. And Lord knows I needed one. 1971 A. Price Alamut Ambush xiii. 155 It was immensely morale-raising to see Mary floor him. |