Scrupled
/ˈskruːpəld/noun
Marked by doubt, hesitation, or moral concern.
Did you know?A Roman *scrupulus* was literally a small sharp stone, and that same image became the idea of a nagging moral “sting” in the mind.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Rome
Latin
scrupulus
“A small sharp stone; a pricking pain or nagging worry”
Late Latin
Latin
scrupulus
“A moral doubt or uneasy hesitation”
Middle French
French
scrupule
“Doubt, qualm, conscientious hesitation”
14th Century
English
scruple
“A moral doubt or qualm”
Modern English
English
scrupled
“Marked by scruples; hesitant from conscience”
Explore more surprising origins