What is the origin of the word scruple?
The word in the more literal Latin sense of "small unit of weight or measurement" is attested in English from late 14c. scruple (v.) "to have or make scruples," 1620s, from scruple (n.).
What is the etymology of the word scrupulosity?
"moral misgiving, pang of conscience," late 14c., from Old French scrupule (14c.), from Latin scrupulus "uneasiness, anxiety, pricking of conscience," literally "small sharp stone," diminutive of scrupus "sharp stone or pebble," used figuratively by Cicero for a cause of uneasiness or anxiety, probably from the notion...
What are scruples and why are they important?
Scruples are a kind of moral compass that lets you know what's right. Often people use this word in an outraged way when someone does something bad: "Don't you have any scruples?" Liars, thieves, criminals, and politicians have fewer scruples than the rest of us.
What is a scruple in pharmacy?
A scruple is a small amount of something, and is used in the system of apothecaries’ weight used by pharmacists. In this system, the smallest unit is the grain, and a scruple is equivalent to 20 grains.
What is the root word of dolphin?
Dolphins are mammals, giving birth to live babies, which may explain the Greek root of dolphin, delphys, meaning "womb." Definitions of dolphin.
What type of word is scruples?
verb (used with object), scru·pled, scru·pling. to have scruples about; hesitate at.
What does scruples mean in vocabulary?
Scruples are a kind of moral compass that lets you know what's right. Often people use this word in an outraged way when someone does something bad: "Don't you have any scruples?" Liars, thieves, criminals, and politicians have fewer scruples than the rest of us. Definitions of scruples.
What is the root word of giraffe?
Etymology. The name "giraffe" has its earliest known origins in the Arabic word zarāfah (زرافة), perhaps borrowed from the animal's Somali name geri. The Arab name is translated as "fast-walker".
What are examples of scruples?
When you believe it is immoral to lie and you hesitate before lying because of this belief, this is an example of a time when you have scruples about lying. When you only have a tiny piece of cake, this is an example of a portion which is a scruple.
What is the synonym of scruples?
Some common synonyms of scruple are compunction, demur, and qualm. While all these words mean "a misgiving about what one is doing or going to do," scruple implies doubt of the rightness of an act on grounds of principle.
Is scrupulous a bad word?
Being scrupulous means adhering to a set of moral principles or beliefs. The word is usually used in a negative sense as unscrupulous, implying a lack of values or moral standards, or a violation of those standards.
What part of speech is the word by?
BY (adverb, preposition) definition and synonyms | Macmillan Dictionary.
What does scruples mean in Macbeth?
Scruples - To hesitate as a result of conscience or principle. Macbeth practiced low scruples by killing his king.
What is the root word of leopard?
Etymology. The English name 'leopard' comes from Old French: leupart or Middle French: liepart, that derives from Latin: leopardus and Ancient Greek: λέοπάρδος (leopardos). Leopardos could be a compound of λέων (leōn), meaning lion, and πάρδος (pardos), meaning spotted.
What is the root word of kayak?
The word kayak comes from the Danish word 'kajak', which itself originate from the Greenland Eskimo word 'qayaq' meaning 'small boat of skins'. It first appeared in English in 1757.
What is a spelling of girl?
[ gurl ] SHOW IPA. / gɜrl / PHONETIC RESPELLING. See synonyms for: girl / girls on Thesaurus.com.
Choose the Right Synonym for scruple
qualm, scruple, compunction, demur mean a misgiving about what one is doing or going to do. qualm implies an uneasy fear that one is not following one's conscience or better judgment. no qualms about plagiarizing scruple implies doubt of the rightness of an act on grounds of principle.
History and Etymology for scruple
Middle English scrupil, scriple, from Anglo-French scruple, from Latin scrupulus a unit of weight, diminutive of scrupus sharp stone
What is a scruple?
Scruples are a kind of moral compass that lets you know what's right. Often people use this word in an outraged way when someone does something bad: "Don't you have any scruples?". Liars, thieves, criminals, and politicians have fewer scruples than the rest of us.
What is scruples in psychology?
Definitions of scruples. noun. motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions. synonyms: conscience, moral sense, sense of right and wrong. see more. see less. types: superego. (psychoanalysis) that part of the unconscious mind that acts as a conscience.
What is scruples in morals?
Having scruples is kind of like having a conscience: your morals or scruples cause you to act in ways you think are right. The idea of scruples has to do with ethics and morality: what is right and wrong. If you had no scruples at all, you'd just kill, steal, cheat, and do God knows what else. Scruples are a kind of moral compass ...
What is a scruple?
scruple. Your scruples are what keep you from doing things you consider to be morally or ethically wrong. Your scruples won't allow you to cheat on a test, or steal from your brother's Halloween candy stash. The noun scruple comes from a Latin word, scrupulus, which means a small, sharp stone.
What does scruples mean ethically?
From there the word scruple took on the ethical principles meaning. If you are doing something bad, your scruples will bother you — but emptying your shoe probably won't help.
What does "principle" mean?
noun. an ethical or moral principle that inhibits action. see more. see less. type of: principle. a rule or standard especially of good behavior. noun. uneasiness about the fitness of an action.
Avoirdupois Weight & the English System
We take for granted today that there are standard measures for time, area, distance, and volume, but these were once very different from place to place. A standard agreed-upon hour of the day wasn’t even implemented until the mid-1800s.
Fathom
The depth of water is measured in fathoms, an ancient word that is as old as English itself: the Oxford English Dictionary includes an example of its use from 824.
Cubit
The dimensions of Noah’s Ark were given in cubits, a long since disused unit of measure. Like most measures in the ancient world, the precise dimensions of it are not known but certainly were variable; the length of a cubit was based on the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, or about 18 inches.
Scruple
A scruple is a small amount of something, and is used in the system of apothecaries’ weight used by pharmacists. In this system, the smallest unit is the grain, and a scruple is equivalent to 20 grains. As weights increase, a dram is 3 scruples, an ounce is 8 drams, and a pound is 12 ounces.
Dram
A dram is both a unit of weight and a measure of liquid capacity. In either case, it’s a small amount. Dram came from French through Latin and ultimately from the Greek word drachmē, meaning “handful.” As a unit of weight, a dram is 1/16 of an ounce (and an ounce is 1/16 of a pound). As a liquid measure, a dram is 1/8 of an ounce.
Barn
Everybody knows that barns are big. We even use the expression “couldn’t hit a barn door” or “couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn” to say that a person can’t aim well.
Firkin
A barrel is among the oldest units of measure, referring, predictably, to “the amount contained in a barrel.” Unlike other ancient vessels that today only refer to units of measure, like gallon and quart, barrel is still used today as the word for “a round usually wooden container with curved sides and flat ends.” A firkin is both the vessel and the measure equivalent to a quarter of a barrel—especially useful if you consider how much a full barrel of liquid must weigh (barrels of alcoholic beverages contain 31 gallons, and a gallon of water weighs more than 8 pounds)..
