Nomos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A concept from ancient Greek thought that indicates the rules or customs shaping societal conduct and governance
2. An idea reflecting the established laws and practices that influence community organization and individual actions
3. A principle from ancient Greece representing the customary laws and norms governing a community

Etymology: "Nomos" is the Ancient Greek word for law, custom, or convention, and it entered English as a technical term rather than through everyday speech. Its basic sense was "what is allotted or assigned," and it grew from the verb "nemō," meaning "to divide" or "to distribute." That sense of apportioning shared resources ties it to a closely related word, "nomos" meaning "district," which was a portion of land assigned to a community. The Greeks came to use the term for the unwritten and written norms that held a community together, and from there it took on the broader sense of the customs that shape how people behave and are governed. The English form stays close to that original Greek shape, so readers meeting it in political or philosophical writing are seeing a word that has kept its ancient outline almost unchanged.

Synonyms: law, custom, norm, rule, regulation

Antonyms: anarchy, lawlessness, chaos