Scruple

Scruple
Scruple Scru"ple, n. [L. scrupulus a small sharp or pointed stone, the twenty-fourth part of an ounce, a scruple, uneasiness, doubt, dim. of scrupus a rough or sharp stone, anxiety, uneasiness; perh. akin to Gr. ? the chippings of stone, ? a razor, Skr. kshura: cf. F. scrupule.] 1. A weight of twenty grains; the third part of a dram. [1913 Webster]

2. Hence, a very small quantity; a particle. [1913 Webster]

I will not bate thee a scruple. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3. Hesitation as to action from the difficulty of determining what is right or expedient; unwillingness, doubt, or hesitation proceeding from motives of conscience. [1913 Webster]

He was made miserable by the conflict between his tastes and his scruples. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]

{To make scruple}, to hesitate from conscientious motives; to scruple. --Locke. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Scruple — • An unfounded apprehension and consequently unwarranted fear that something is a sin which, as a matter of fact, is not Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Scruple     Scruple      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Scruple — Scru ple, v. t. 1. To regard with suspicion; to hesitate at; to question. [1913 Webster] Others long before them . . . scrupled more the books of heretics than of gentiles. Milton. [1913 Webster] 2. To excite scruples in; to cause to scruple.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Scruple — Scru ple, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Scrupled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Scrupling}.] To be reluctant or to hesitate, as regards an action, on account of considerations of conscience or expedience. [1913 Webster] We are often over precise, scrupling to say or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • scruple — n demur, *qualm, compunction Analogous words: *hesitation, hesitancy: doubt, *uncertainty, suspicion, mistrust: misgiving, *apprehension scruple vb *demur, bal …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • scruple — [n] misgiving, doubt anxiety, caution, censor, compunction, conscience, demur, difficulty, faltering, hesitancy, hesitation, pause, perplexity, qualm, reconsideration, reluctance, reluctancy, second thought*, squeamishness, superego, twinge,… …   New thesaurus

  • Scruple — (spr. ßkrūp l), im engl. Apothekergewicht 20 Grains (Minims) = 1,296 g und im frühern Handelsgewicht 10 Grains avdp. = 591 mg …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • scruple — I noun anxiety, apprehension, apprehensiveness, compunction, concern, cunctatio, doubt, doubtfulness, drawback, dubiety, dubiousness, dubitatio, fear, fearfulness, haesitatio, hesitancy, hesitation, misgiving, objection, qualm, question,… …   Law dictionary

  • Scruple —   [skruːpl, englisch] das, / s, Einheitenzeichen s, in Großbritannien und den USA gebräuchliche Masseneinheit des Apothecaries Systems für Drogen und Arzneimittel, 1 s = 20 grain = 1,295 978 4 g …   Universal-Lexikon

  • scruple — ► NOUN 1) a feeling of doubt as to whether an action is morally right. 2) historical a unit of weight used by apothecaries, equal to 20 grains. ► VERB ▪ hesitate to do something that one thinks may be wrong. ORIGIN from Latin scrupus, literally… …   English terms dictionary

  • scruple — [skro͞o′pəl] n. [MFr scrupule < L scrupulus, small sharp stone (hence small weight, difficulty, doubt), dim. of scrupus, sharp stone < IE * skreup < base * (s)ker , to cut] 1. a very small quantity, amount, or part 2. a) an ancient Roman …   English World dictionary

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