I agree that the names are confusing or misleading to modern readers. The strange choice of words in both cases seems to be due to the terms being used in a technical sense with a more specific meaning than in plain English. Plus, they are both based on terms coined long ago, and the connotations (or definitions) of English words do tend to change over the centuries.<p>From the Wikipedia page on moral hazard:<p>&gt; [...] the term dates back to the 17th century [...] Dembe and Boden point out, however, that prominent mathematicians studying decision making in the 18th century used &quot;moral&quot; to mean &quot;subjective&quot;, which may cloud the true ethical significance in the term.<p>From the Wikipedia page on rent seeking:<p>&gt; The word &quot;rent&quot; does not refer here to payment on a lease but stems instead from Adam Smith&#x27;s division of incomes into profit, wage, and rent. The origin of the term refers to gaining control of land or other natural resources.