Word of the Day

Tuesday, February 18, 2003

compunction

\kuhm-PUHNK-shuhn\ , noun;

Anxiety or deep unease proceeding from a sense of guilt or consciousness of causing pain.

A sting of conscience or a twinge of uneasiness; a qualm; a scruple.

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Quotes:

Not only were tears one means of prayer, according to Benedict, they were the only pure form: "We must know that God regards our purity of heart and tears of compunction, not our many words."

-- Tom Lutz, Crying

Yet, while Louise and Ruth and I and all our ilk are consumed by self-reproach, these two can recall not an ounce of compunction.

-- Rose Shepherd, "Fatal egg by pleasure laid", Independent, September 3, 1996

If they succeeded, however, Sicily would simply come under the authority of the new revolutionary government in Naples, a government that would feel no compunctions whatsoever about saddling the island with even more "stamp duties, official papers, and forced labor" than before.

-- James Fentress, Rebels and Mafiosi

I would reveal all without compunction because he is after all, my ex.

-- Karen Karbo, Generation Ex

Origin:

Compunction derives from Late Latin compunctio, compunction-, "sting or pricking of conscience," from the past participle of compungere, "to prick severely," from com-, intensive prefix + pungere, "to prick."