qualm
NounWordNet 3.0
Noun (2)
- uneasiness about the fitness of an actionSynonyms: scruplemisgiving
- a mild state of nauseaSynonyms: queasinesssqueamishness
Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)
Qualm \Qualm\, n. [AS. cwealm death, slaughter, pestilence, akin to OS. & OHG. qualm. See Quail to cower.]
1.Sickness; disease; pestilence; death. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]
thousand slain and not of qualm ystorve [dead].— Chaucer.[1913 Webster]
2.A sudden attack of illness, faintness, or pain; an agony. " Qualms of heartsick agony." --Milton. [1913 Webster]
3.Especially, a sudden sensation of nausea. [1913 Webster]
For who, without a qualm, hath ever looked On holy garbage, though by Homer cooked?— Roscommon.[1913 Webster]
4.A prick or scruple of conscience; uneasiness of conscience; compunction. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]