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Fair vs Ethical - What's the difference?

fair | ethical |

As a proper noun fair

is .

As an adjective ethical is

(philosophy|not comparable) of or relating to the study of ethics.

As a noun ethical is

an ethical drug.

fair

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) fayr, feir, fager, from (etyl) .

Adjective

(er)
  • Beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure and fresh quality.
  • :
  • :
  • *{{quote-book, year=1917, year_published=2008
  • , edition=HTML, author=(Edgar Rice Burroughs), publisher=The Gutenberg Project , title= A Princess of Mars , passage="It was a purely scientific research party sent out by my father's father, the Jeddak of Helium, to rechart the air currents, and to take atmospheric density tests," replied the fair prisoner, in a low, well-modulated voice.}}
  • *{{quote-book, year=2010, author=(Stephan Grundy)
  • , title= Beowulf , genre=Fiction, publisher=iUniverse, isbn=9781440156977, page=33 , passage=And yet he was also, though many generations separated them, distant cousin to the shining eoten-main Geard, whom the god Frea Ing had seen from afar and wedded; and to Scatha, the fair daughter of the old thurse Theasa, who had claimed a husband from among the gods as weregild for her father's slaying: often, it was said, the ugliest eotens would sire the fairest maids.}}
  • Unblemished (figuratively or literally); clean and pure; innocent.
  • :
  • :
  • *Book of Common Prayer
  • *:a fair white linen cloth
  • Light in color, pale, particularly as regards skin tone but also referring to blond hair.
  • :
  • *1677 , (Matthew Hale), The Primitive Origination of Mankind, Considered and Examined According to the Light of Nature , page 200
  • *:the northern people large and fair -complexioned
  • *
  • *:This new-comer was a man who in any company would have seemed striking. In complexion fair , and with blue or gray eyes, he was tall as any Viking, as broad in the shoulder.
  • Just, equitable.
  • :
  • *
  • *:“[…] it is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons ! Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.”
  • Adequate, reasonable, or decent.
  • :
  • *, chapter=3
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay and ought to fetch a fair price.}}
  • Favorable to a ship's course.
  • Not overcast; cloudless; clear; pleasant; propitious; said of the sky, weather, or wind, etc.
  • :
  • *(Matthew Prior) (1664-1721)
  • *:You wish fair winds may waft him over.
  • Free from obstacles or hindrances; unobstructed; unencumbered; open; direct; said of a road, passage, etc.
  • :
  • *Sir (Walter Raleigh) (ca.1554-1618)
  • *:The caliphs obtained a mighty empire, which was in a fair way to have enlarged.
  • (lb) Without sudden change of direction or curvature; smooth; flowing; said of the figure of a vessel, and of surfaces, water lines, and other lines.
  • (lb) Between the baselines.
  • Synonyms
    * (beautiful) beautiful, pretty, lovely * (unblemished) pure, clean, neat * (light in color) pale * (just) honest, just, equitable
    Derived terms
    * all's fair in love and war * fair and square * fair cop * fair copy * fair go * fair play * fair sex * fair to middling * fair use * fair-weather friend * to be fair

    Noun

    (fair)
  • Something which is fair (in various senses of the adjective).
  • When will we learn to distinguish between the fair and the foul?
  • (obsolete) A woman, a member of the ‘fair sex’; also as a collective singular, women.
  • * 1744 , , act 2, scene 8
  • ''Love and Hymen, hand in hand,
    ''Come, restore the nuptial band!
    ''And sincere delights prepare
    ''To crown the hero and the fair .
  • * 1749 , Henry Fielding, Tom Jones , Folio Society 1973, p. 39:
  • In enjoying, therefore, such place of rendezvous, the British fair ought to esteem themselves more happy than any of their foreign sisters
  • * 1819 , Lord Byron, Don Juan , III.24:
  • If single, probably his plighted Fair / Has in his absence wedded some rich miser [...].
  • (obsolete) Fairness, beauty.
  • (Shakespeare)
  • A fair woman; a sweetheart.
  • * Shenstone
  • I have found out a gift for my fair .
  • (obsolete) Good fortune; good luck.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Now fair befall thee!

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To smoothen or even a surface (especially a connection or junction on a surface).
  • To bring into perfect alignment (especially about rivet holes when connecting structural members).
  • To construct or design a structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline or reduce air drag or water resistance.
  • (obsolete) To make fair or beautiful.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Fairing the foul.
    Synonyms
    * (to reduce air drag or water resistance) to streamline
    Derived terms
    * fair off * fair up * fairing

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • Clearly; openly; frankly; civilly; honestly; favorably; auspiciously; agreeably.
  • Derived terms
    * bid fair * fair and square

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) feire, from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A community gathering to celebrate and exhibit local achievements.
  • An event for public entertainment and trade, a market.
  • * , chapter=7
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=The turmoil went on—no rest, no peace. […] It was nearly eleven o'clock now, and he strolled out again. In the little fair created by the costers' barrows the evening only seemed beginning; and the naphtha flares made one's eyes ache, the men's voices grated harshly, and the girls' faces saddened one.}}
  • An event for professionals in a trade to learn of new products and do business.
  • A funfair, an amusement park.
  • Derived terms
    * funfair

    Statistics

    * ----

    ethical

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (philosophy, not comparable) Of or relating to the study of ethics.
  • The philosopher Kant is particularly known for his ethical writings.
  • (not comparable) Of or relating to the accepted principles of right and wrong, especially those of some organization or profession.
  • All employees must familiarize themselves with our ethical guidelines.
  • (comparable) Morally approvable, when referring to an action that affects others; good.
  • We are trying to decide what the most ethical course of action would be.
  • (of a drug, not comparable) Only dispensed on the prescription of a physician.
  • In most jurisdictions, morphine is classified as an ethical drug.

    Usage notes

    * In general usage ethical'' is used to describe standards of behavior between individuals, while ''moral'' or ''immoral can describe any behavior. You can call lying unethical or immoral, for example, because it involves the behavior of one person and how it affects another, but violating dietary prohibitions in a holy text can only be described as immoral.

    Derived terms

    * ethical investment * ethical system * meta-ethical * (morally approvable) unethical

    See also

    * ethical dative

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An ethical drug.
  • Anagrams

    *