epikeia

E1P3I1K5E1I1A1

noun

The principle in ethics that a law can be broken to achieve a greater good.

OriginAncient Greek ἐπιείκεια →
Scrabble 13
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounepikeia (uncountable)

alternative epieikeia

  1. uncountablehuman sciencesThe principle in ethics that a law can be broken to achieve a greater good.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἐπιείκεια
  2. Ancient Greekἐπιείκεια
  3. Englishepikeia

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐπιείκεια (epieíkeia, “reasonableness”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

epikeia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epikeia

MLA

“epikeia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epikeia. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “epikeia,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epikeia.

Source: epikeia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.