escrúpulo

scruple, qualm

noun ehs-KROO-poo-loh Rare

Origin: From Latin scrupulus (small sharp stone — hence a nagging worry).

Usage Note

Escrúpulo (usually plural escrúpulos) denotes a moral hesitation or conscientious doubt. Tener escrúpulos means to have scruples; sin escrúpulos describes someone unscrupulous. Historically it was also a unit of apothecary weight (about 1.3 g), though that sense is obsolete in everyday use. The adjective escrupuloso/a means meticulous as well as scrupulous.

Examples

"No tenía escrúpulos para mentir."

Natural Translation

He had no scruples about lying.

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