Word of the Day: Qualm

qualm

qualm / kwäm, kwôm, or kwälm

noun

1. remorse; a feeling of regret for a wrongdoing

King David and King Solomon

Led merry, merry lives,

With many, many lady friends

And many, many Wives;

But when old age crept over them—

With many many qualms,

King Soloman wrote the Proverbs

And King David wrote the Psalms.

James Ball Naylor, 1860 – 1945

2. misgiving; a sudden feeling of uneasiness or apprehension

And what I have, what I am, is enough, was always enough for me, and as far as my dear little sweet little future is concerned I have no qualms, I have a good time coming.

From “Molloy” by Samuel Beckett, 1906 – 1989

3. a sudden feeling of faintness or nausea

Once more he essayed the effort, but a qualm of nausea overwhelmed him.

From “Tarzan of the Apes” by Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1875 – 1950