Quest for a word.

[Surendra Rai]

I want to know whether the word 'नैतिकता' is found in ancient Sanskrit
books.

[Arvind_Kolhatkar]

The meaning of the word नीति as found in the usage of modern Indian
languages is somewhat more restricted than the meaning of that word in
classical literature. The word is used today almost exclusively in
the sense of moral or righteous behaviour. This sense was of course
present in the older usage but it had several other meanings too
attached to it. Monier Williams cited these several other meanings.

The words नैतिकता and अनैतिक naturally flow from the modern
restricted usage of the word नीति. While not incorrectly formed, it
does not appear that they would convey the same sense in the older
times as they do now.

The words नैतिकता or अनैतिक have not been separately listed in MW.

Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, April 01, 2012.

[hnbhat]

If the word नैतिक can be derived as one following नीति- , moral code of conduct, according to grammar, नैतिकता or अनैतिकता could be derived as meaning the state of being नैतिक, or अनैतिक in other words, abiding to the rules or moral conduct.

But as Aravindji has reflectd, the word नैतिक is not listed in the Dictionaries and it may be or may not be possible to derive on the analogy of नैष्ठिक, यौगिक etc. formation and possibly not found in ancient texts on a first search.

[amba kulkarni]

I searched the word "नैतिक*" through the Search Engine (http://
sanskrit.uohyd.ernet.in:8080/serachengine).
I could not get it in महाभारत, रामायण, पुराणs and other texts
available at GRETIL, the texts available at Digital Corpus for
Sanskrit.
But I found several usages of this word in the modern Sanskrit
literature.

None of them, however, reported any occurrence of नैतिकता.

regards,
Amba Kulkarni