qualm
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also Qualm
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
Middle English cwalm, qualm (“death, sickness, plague”), from Old English cwealm (West Saxon) "death, disaster, plague," ūtcualm (Anglian) "utter destruction," related to cwelan (“to die,”) cwellan (“to kill”). The other suggested etymology, less satisfying, is from Dutch kwalm "steam, vapor, mist," which also may be ultimately from the same Germanic root as quell. Sense softened to "feeling of faintness" 1530; meaning "uneasiness, doubt" is from 1553; that of "scruple of conscience" is 1649. An indirect connection between the Old English and modern senses is plausible, via the notion of "fit of sickness."
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
qualm (plural qualms)
- A sickly feeling of being ill at ease; sudden queasiness.
- A prick of the conscience, moral scruple.
- An uneasy feeling of apprehension and/or doubt
[edit] Synonyms
compunction, misgiving, scruple
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
A sickly feeling of being ill at ease; sudden queasiness
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A prick of the conscience, moral scrupule
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An uneasy feeling of apprehension, doubt
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