17 March 2013

compunction

[kuhm-puhngk-shuhn]
noun

1. a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain; contrition; remorse.
2. any uneasiness or hesitation about the rightness of an action.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English compunccion (< Anglo-French ) < Late Latin compūnctiōn- (stem of compūnctiō ), equivalent to Latin compūnct ( us ), past participle of compungere to prick severely ( com- com- + pungere to prick; cf. point) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms
com·punc·tion·less, adjective

Example sentence:

‘Robin Hood had no compunction about robbing from greedy and corrupt noblemen’.

Today’s quote

An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold onto one blade of grass to keep from falling off the earth.

– Irish saying

On this day

17 March – St Patrick’s Day.

17 March 1931 – The U.S. state of Nevada legalises gambling, which paves the way for the establishment of Las Vegas as the casino capital of America.

17 March 1966 – a hydrogen bomb is recovered from the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. The bomb had fallen from a U.S. B-52 after it collided with a KC-135 refuelling jet.