Advertisement

decency (n.)

1560s, "appropriateness, state or quality of being fit or suitable," from Latin decentia "comeliness, decency," from decentem "becoming, fitting," present participle of decere "to be fitting or suitable," from PIE *deke-, from root *dek- "to take, accept." Meaning "modesty, freedom from ribaldry or obscenity" (i.e. "appropriateness to standards of society") is from 1630s.

Others are reading

Advertisement
Definitions of decency from WordNet

decency (n.)
the quality of conforming to standards of propriety and morality;
decency (n.)
the quality of being polite and respectable;
From wordnet.princeton.edu