scruple

scruple
—scrupleless, adj.
/skrooh"peuhl/, n., v., scrupled, scrupling.
n.
1. a moral or ethical consideration or standard that acts as a restraining force or inhibits certain actions.
2. a very small portion or amount.
3. a unit of weight equal to 20 grains (1.295 grams) or 1/3 of a dram, apothecaries' weight.
4. an ancient Roman unit of weight equivalent to 1/24 of an ounce or 1/288 of an as or pound. Cf. as2 (def. 2).
v.i.
5. to have scruples.
v.t.
6. to have scruples about; hesitate at.
[1350-1400; ( < F scrupule) < L scrupulus unit of weight, worry, precaution equiv. to scrup(us) rough pebble + -ulus -ULE; r. earlier scriple, ME < L scripulum (var. scriptulum) small weight, pebble, alter. of scrupulus by assoc. with scriptum writing (see SCRIPT; for sense relation cf. GRAM)]
Syn. 1. qualm, compunction, restraint. 6. waver.

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▪ unit of weight
      unit of weight in the apothecaries' system (apothecaries' weight), equal to 20 grains (grain), or one-third dram, and equivalent to 1.296 grams (gram). It was sometimes mistakenly assigned to the avoirdupois system (avoirdupois weight). In ancient times, when coinage weights customarily furnished the lower subdivisions of weight systems, the scruple (from Latin scrupulus, “small stone” or “pebble”) was a unit of Roman commercial weight as well as a unit of coinage weight. One drachma, the basic Greek silver unit, consisted of three scruples.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • 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.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 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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