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qualm definition

qualm (kwäm)

noun

  1. a sudden, brief feeling of sickness, faintness, or nausea
  2. a sudden feeling of uneasiness or doubt; misgiving
  3. a twinge of conscience; scruple

Etymology: ME qualme < OE cwealm, death, disaster (akin to Ger qual, pain, Swed kvalm, nausea) < base of cwellan, to kill (see quell): all extant senses show melioration of the orig. meaning

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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