Moral doubts or hesitations about whether something is right or wrong; a feeling that stops you from doing something unethical.
From Latin 'scrupulus' meaning a small sharp stone or weight used for measuring. It evolved metaphorically to mean a small doubt that 'weighs on' your conscience, like a pebble in your shoe.
Romans literally had a unit of weight called a scrupulus—so when they said someone had 'scruples,' they meant tiny weights of doubt holding them back, which is such a perfect metaphor!
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