Decency
nounBehaviour that conforms to accepted standards of morality, modesty, or respectful treatment of others.
How to spell decency
7 letters · 3 syllables
How to pronounce decency
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does decency mean?
- nounBehaviour that conforms to accepted standards of morality, modesty, or respectful treatment of others.
Decency in a sentence
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Common decency requires that we apologise when we are clearly in the wrong.
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She treated every patient with warmth and decency, no matter how busy the ward became.
Where does decency come from?
Language of origin: Latin
This word traces back to the Latin verb decere, which meant 'to be fitting, suitable, or proper'. From that verb Latin formed decentia, a noun meaning 'fitness' or 'propriety', describing behaviour or appearance that was considered seemly and appropriate. English took the word in during the late 1500s, partly through French, and used it first to mean a sense of what was proper or becoming. Over time the meaning broadened to cover modesty, kind treatment of others, and conformity to accepted standards of conduct. The same decere root also gives us 'decent' and 'decorum', which is a helpful reminder that the spelling keeps a 'c' before the 'e', not an 's'.
How the word is built
- dec- (from Latin decere: to be fitting, proper)
- -ency (noun-forming suffix denoting a quality or state)
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