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scruple

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Scruple is a feeling of doubt or hesitation based on moral grounds, or a very small amount of something.

(noun)

When you believe it is immoral to lie and you hesitate before lying because of this belief, this is an example of a time when you have scruples about lying.
When you only have a tiny piece of cake, this is an example of a portion which is a scruple.

See scruple in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a very small quantity, amount, or part
1. an ancient Roman unit of weight equal to ounce
2. a unit of weight equal to dram apothecaries' weight or 20 grains (1.296 grams): abbrev. sc
a feeling of hesitancy, doubt, or uneasiness arising from difficulty in deciding what is right, proper, ethical, etc.; qualm or misgiving about something one thinks is wrong
high ethical standards

Origin: MFr scrupule < L scrupulus, small sharp stone (hence small weight, difficulty, doubt), dim. of scrupus, sharp stone < IE *skreup- < base *(s)ker-, to cut

transitive verb, intransitive verb scrupled, scrupling

to hesitate (at) from doubt or uneasiness; be unwilling because of one's conscience; have scruples (about)

See scruple in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

An uneasy feeling arising from conscience or principle that tends to hinder action. See Synonyms at qualm.
Abbr. sc. or scr. A unit of apothecary weight equal to about 1.3 grams, or 20 grains.
A minute part or amount.

intransitive verb scru·pled, scru·pling, scru·ples

To hesitate as a result of conscience or principle: “A man who could make so vile a pun would not scruple to pick a pocket” (John Dennis).

Origin:

Origin: Middle English scrupul

Origin: , from Old French scrupule

Origin: , from Latin scrūpulus, small unit of measurement, scruple

Origin: , diminutive of scrūpus, rough stone, scruple

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