Scrupulosity
/ˌskruːpjʊˈlɒsɪti/noun
Excessive or obsessive conscientiousness, often involving moral or religious anxiety.
Did you know?It comes from Latin *scrupulus*, a little sharp stone, and later became a metaphor for a nagging moral prick—proof that ancient languages turned physical discomfort into spiritual anxiety.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skei-
“to cut, split, or pierce”
Latin
Latin
scrupulus
“a small sharp stone; a pricking sensation; a moral doubt”
Late Latin
Latin
scrupulosus
“full of scruples; morally fastidious, anxious about right and wrong”
14th Century
English
scrupulosite
“scrupulousness; exactness or conscientious doubt”
Modern English
English
scrupulosity
“excessive conscientiousness or moral/religious doubt”
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