FromOld Frenchscrupule, fromLatinscrūpulus(“(literally) a smallsharp orpointedstone;uneasiness ofmind,anxiety,doubt,trouble; scruple”) andscrūpulum(“onetwenty-fourth of anounce”),diminutives ofscrūpus(“arough or sharp stone; anxiety, uneasiness”); perhaps akin toAncient Greekσκύρος(skúros,“thechippings of stone”), fromξυρόν(xurón,“razor”), fromξύω(xúō,“toscrape”), fromProto-Indo-European*ksew-.Doublet ofescropulo andescrupulo.
scruple (pluralscruples)
- Hesitation to act from the difficulty of determining what isright orexpedient;doubt,hesitation orunwillingness due tomotives ofconscience; moral qualm.
1609,Geo[rge] Chapman, “Conclusio”, inEvthymiæ Raptvs; or The Teares of Peace: With Interlocutions, London: Printed by H. L. for Rich[ard] Bonian, and H. Walley, and are to be solde at the spread-eagle, neere the great North-door ofS. Pauls Church,→OCLC:Before her flew Affliction, girt in ſtorms, / Gaſht all with guſhing wounds; and all the formes / Of bane, and miſerie, frowning in her face; / Whom Tyrannie, and Iniuſtice, had in Chace; / Grimme Perſecution, Pouertie, and Shame; / Detraction, Enuie, foule Mishap and lame; /Scruple of Conſcience; Feare, Deceipt, Deſpaire; / Slaunder, and Clamor, that rent all the Ayre;[…]
1837,David Jardine,A Reading on the Use of Torture in the Criminal Law of England previously to the Commonwealth; Delivered atNew Inn Hall in Michaelmas Term, 1836, by Appointment of theHonourable Society of the Middle Temple, London: Baldwin and Cradock,→OCLC,page16:[U]ntil theCommonwealth [of England] torture was constantly used as an instrument of evidence in the investigation of offences, whether municipal or political, withoutscruple, and without question as to its legality.
1857,Thomas Babington Macaulay, “John Bunyan”, inBiographical Essays.[...] Frederic the Great.—Bunyan.—Goldsmith.—Johnson.—Barère (Collection of British Authors; CCCCV), Tauchniz edition, Leipzig:Bernhard Tauchniz,→OCLC,page99:The four chief sins of which he was guilty were dancing, ringing the bells of the parish church, playing at tipcat, and reading the History of SirBevis of Southampton. A Rector of the school of[William] Laud would have held such a young man up to the whole parish as a model. But[John] Bunyan's notions of good and evil had been learned in a very different school; and he was made miserable by the conflict between his tastes and hisscruples.
- (pharmacy) Aweight of1⁄288 of a pound, that is, twentygrains or one third of adram, about 1.3grams (symbol:℈).
- Synonym:(abbreviation)s.ap.
1580,Leonardo Fioravanti, “To Make Oyle of Frankensence”, in John Hester, transl.,A Short Discours of the Excellent Doctour and Knight, Maister Leonardo Phioravanti Bolognese vppon Chirurgerie. With a Declaration of Many Thinges, Necessarie to be Knowne, neuer Written before in this Order: Whereunto is Added a Number of Notable Secretes, Found out by the saide Author. Translated out of Italyan into English, by Iohn Hester, Practicioner in the Arte of Distillation, London: Imprinted at London byThomas East,→OCLC,folio 17, recto:The Oyle ſerueth in many operations, and ſpecially in all colde diſeaſes, if they be inwardly, give thereof euerye morning oneſcruple to drinke, and if they be outward annoynt.
1725,[Noël] Chomel, “BEZOAR-STONE”, inR[ichard] Bradley, editor,Dictionaire Oeconomique: Or, The Family Dictionary. […], volumeI (A–H), London: […] D[aniel] Midwinter, […],→OCLC:Bezoar (Horſe) calledHypolites, excites Sweat, reſiſts Poiſon, kills the Worms, and ſtops a Looſeneſs; the Doſe is from half aScruple to twoScruples.
1961, Harry E. Wedeck,Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page70:Marcus Empiricus, a Roma physician, prescribed threescruples of cress, three of red onion, three of pine seed, three of Indian nard, for impotence.
- AHebrewunit oftimeequal to1⁄1080hour.
1704, Giles Strauchius [i.e.,Aegidius Strauch II], “Of Minutes, Scruples and Moments”, inRichard Sault, transl.,Breviarium Chronologicum. Or A Treatise Describing the Terms and Most Celebrated Characters, Periods and Epocha’s Used in Chronology. By Giles Strauchius, D.D. and Publick Professor in the University of Wittebergh. Now Done into English from the Third Edition, in Latin. By Richard Sault, F.R.S., 2nd corrected edition, London: Printed for A. Bosvile at the Dial and Bible againstSt. Dunstan's Church inFleet-street,→OCLC, book I (Of some Terms in Chronology, and those the Most Common), § 3,page 8:If it be ask'd why the Jews divide the Hour into 1080Scruples, the Author of theNeomeniæ ſet forth byMunſter gives this reaſon fo it, becauſe there is no number that is diviſible into ſo many ſorts as this of 1080 is; for it may be divided by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, &c.
[1812, Thomas Watson, “Chronology”, inAn Useful Compendium of Many Important and Curious Branches of Science and General Knowledge, Digested, Principally, in Plain and Instructive Tables, to which are Added, some Rational Recreations in Numbers, with Easy and Expeditious Methods of Constructing Magic Squares, and Specimens of Some in the Higher Class, London: Printed forLongman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown,Paternoster Row; C. Law,Ave-Maria Lane; by and for R. Rodgers, Whitby,→OCLC, section 4 (The Mahometan Year),page38:The Mahometan year consists of 12 lunar months, each containing 29 days, 12 hours and 792scruples; (1080scruples = 1 hour) so that the year contains 354 days, 8 hours and 864scruples.]
1864 July 23, George Greenwood, “East of the Jordan”, inThe Athenæum: Journal of English and Foreign Literature, Science, and the Fine Arts, number1917, London: Printed by James Holmes, Took's Court,Chancery Lane, published at the office, 20, Wellington Street,Strand, W.C., by John Francis. [...],→OCLC,page116, column 1:The most ancient hour was divided into 1,080scruples. The Jews supposeIssachar to have brought it from heaven.
- (obsolete, by extension) A very small quantity; aparticle.
- Synonyms:seeThesaurus:modicum
c.1600–1601,William Shakespeare, “Tvvelfe Night, or What You Will”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies, London: Printed byIsaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC, act III, scene iv,page267, column 2:Why euery thing adheres togither, that no dramme of aſcruple, noſcruple of aſcruple, no obſtacle, no incredulous or unſafe circumſtance: What can be ſaide? Nothing that can be, can come betweene me, and the full proſpect of my hopes.
- (obsolete) Adoubt oruncertainty concerning a matter of fact;intellectualperplexity.
1676, William Okeley, “Sect. VIII. The Contrivance for Our Escape, the Persons Acquainted with It, and also Those that were Engaged in it; Some Debates about Leaving My Patron.”, inEben-ezer: Or, A Small Monument of Great Mercy, Appearing in the Miraculous Deliverance of William Okeley, William Adams, John Anthony, John Jephs, John— Carpenter, from the Miserable Slavery of Algiers,[...], London: Printed for Nat[haniel] Ponder, at the sign of the Peacock in thePoultry nearCorn-hill, and inChancery-Lane nearFleetstreet,→OCLC,page46:There aroſeaScruple, nay, it amount toa Queſtion, whether to attempt an Eſcape from my Patron, one thatſo dearly Loved me,ſo fairly bought me, were juſtifiable before God and Men?
hesitation from the difficulty of determining what is right
scruple (third-person singular simple presentscruples,present participlescrupling,simple past and past participlescrupled)
- (intransitive) Tohesitate or bereluctant to act due toconsiderations ofconscience orexpedience.
They wouldn'tscruple to cheat us if given the opportunity.
1645, Thomas Fuller, “Mixt Contemplations”, inGood Thoughts in Bad Times, […], Exeter, Devon: […] Thomas Hunt,→OCLC, section III,pages199–200:On that day vvherein vve receive theSacrament, vve are often over-precize,ſcrupling to ſay, or do, thoſe things vvhich lavvfully vve may. But vve, vvho are more then Curious that day, are not ſo much as Carefull the next. And too often, (vvhat ſhall I ſay) go on in ſinne, up to the Anckles, yea, our ſins 'go over our Heads.
1672,Robert South, “A True State and Account of the Plea of a Tender Conscience. In a Sermon Preach’d atChrist-Church, Oxon. before theUniversity, in Michaelmas Term, 1672”, inTwelve Sermons upon Several Subjects and Occasions, 5th edition, volume III, London: Printed by H. Clark, for Jonah Bowyer, at the Rose, the West-End ofSt. Paul's Church-Yard, published1722,→OCLC,page206:But theTenderneſs, we have to deal with, is quite of another Nature, being ſuch as one as makes Menſcruple at the Lawfulneſs of a Set Form of Divine Worship, at the Uſe of ſome Solemn Rites and Ceremonies in the Service of God; but makes them not ſtick at all atSacrilege, which St.Paul equates toIdolatry;[…]
1923,Anthony Ludovici, “The Subject Treated Generally”, inWoman; A Vindication, London: Constable, page30:We have the effrontery to teach Woman the doctrine that since we fail them both in quantity and quality, there is a life away from us and the children they could have from us that is worth living. We do notscruple to tell them that they can be happy, content, comfortable, without the surroundings to which they are primarily adapted.
1941 December, Kenneth Brown, “The Newmarket & Chesterford Railway—II”, inRailway Magazine, page533:[...] it also charged the Newmarket Railway £600 a year for the management or rather—as the Chairman of the Newmarket Railway did notscruple to call it—the mismanagement of the line.
- (intransitive) Toexcite scruples in; to cause to scruple.
1648, Edw[ard] Symmons, “Sect. IV. 1. The Nature of Their Charge Opened. 2. Their Vilanous and Bloudy Scope therein, Clearely Evidenced, and Proved. 3. How Perfectly in Their Tenents They Hold with the Jesuites in the Points of King-killing and King-deposing, Fully Declared.”, inA Vindication of King Charles: Or, a Loyal Subjects Duty. Manifested in Vindicating His Soveraigne from those Aspersions Cast upon Him by Certaine Persons, in a Scandalous Libel, Entituled, The Kings Cabinet Opened: And Published (as They Say) by Authority of Parliament. Whereunto is Added, a True Parallel betwixt the Sufferings of Our Saviour and Our Soveraign, in Divers Particulars, &c.,[London?]:[s.n.],→OCLC,page37:It is granted indeed before that time, the Supream power was in Him [Charles I of England], and we were all his Subjects: and then perhaps ſome mightScruple to cut his throat, for there were lawes then in force against Regicides, but now ſince his Reſignation, (for ſo in ourTenents we hold this Act to be,) there is no ſcruple to be made, thoſe lawes against King-killers are ſuſpended, and he is now become asSamſon was without his ſtrength,[…]
- (transitive) To regard withsuspicion; toquestion.
1644,John Milton,Areopagitica; a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Vnlicenc’d Printing, to the Parliament of England, London:[s.n.],→OCLC,page 7:As for the writings of Heathen authors, unleſſe they were plaine invectives againſt Chriſtianity, as thoſe ofPorphyrius andProclus, they met with no interdict that can be cited, till about the year 400, in aCarthaginian Councel, wherein Biſhops themſelves were forbid to read the Books of Gentiles, but Hereſies they might read: while others long before them on the contraryſcrupl'd more the Books of Hereticks, then of Gentiles.
1778,Edmund Calamy, “Introduction”, inSamuel Palmer, editor,The Nonconformist’s Memorial: Being an Account of the Ministers, who were Ejected or Silenced after the Restoration, Particularly by the Act of Uniformity, which Took Place on Bartholomew-day, Aug. 24, 1662. Containing a Concise View of Their Lives and Characters, Their Principles, Sufferings, and Printed Works,[...], 2nd edition, volume I, London: Printed for Alex[ande]r Hogg, and No. 16,Pater Noster-Row,→OCLC, § 4 (The Act of Uniformity; and Reflections upon It),page50:And notwithſtanding all the clamours of their inſulting brethren, they were ſatisfied that thoſe who were moſt forward for this declaration [that it was unlawful to take arms against the king], and moſt fierce in condemning thoſe whoſcrupled it, would not keep to it, if at any time they found things were come to extremity, as the event verified.
- (intransitive, obsolete) To question thetruth of (a fact, etc.); todoubt; to hesitate tobelieve, to question.
I do notscruple to admit that all the Earth seeth but only half of the Moon.
to hesitate or be reluctant to act due to considerations of conscience
conscience on Wikipedia.Wikipedia- William Dwight Whitney,Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “scruple”, inThe Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.:The Century Co.,→OCLC.
- “scruple”, inWebster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.:G. & C. Merriam,1913,→OCLC.
- “scruple”, inLexico,Dictionary.com;Oxford University Press,2019–2022.
