/ ˈdiːsnsi; NAmE / noun
1.
[ U ] honest, polite behaviour that follows accepted moral standards and shows respect for others :
Her behaviour showed a total lack of common decency .
Have you no sense of decency ?
He might have had the decency to apologize.
2.
the decencies [ pl. ] ( formal ) standards of behaviour in society that people think are acceptable :
the basic decencies of civilized society
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. (in the sense appropriateness, fitness ): from Latin decentia , from decent- being fitting, from the verb decere .