conscience
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English
Etymology
From Middle English conscience, from Old French conscience, from Latin conscientia (“knowledge within oneself”), from consciens, present participle of conscire (“to know, to be conscious (of wrong)”), from com- (“together”) + scire (“to know”).
Pronunciation
Noun
conscience (countable and uncountable, plural consciences)
- The ethical or moral sense of right and wrong, chiefly as it affects a person’s own behaviour and forms their attitude to their past actions.
- Your conscience is your highest authority.
- 1949, Albert Einstein, as quoted by Virgil Henshaw in Albert Einstein: Philosopher Scientist,
- Never do anything against conscience, even if the state demands it.
- 1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 159:
- As for Grierson, he poured liquor into himself as if it were so much soothing syrup, demonstrating that a good digestion is the highest form of good conscience.
- 1951, Isaac Asimov, Foundation, Panther Books Ltd, published 1974, part V: The Merchant Princes, chapter 14, page 175:
- [“]Twer is not a friend of mine testifying against me reluctantly and for conscience’ sake, as the prosecution would have you believe. He is a spy, performing his paid job.[”]
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 18, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
- ‘Then the father has a great fight with his terrible conscience,’ said Munday with granite seriousness. ‘Should he make a row with the police […] ? Or should he say nothing about it and condone brutality for fear of appearing in the newspapers?
- (chiefly fiction, narratology) A personification of the moral sense of right and wrong, usually in the form of a person, a being or merely a voice that gives moral lessons and advices.
- (obsolete) Consciousness; thinking; awareness, especially self-awareness.
- c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :
- Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought.
Derived terms
- a good conscience is a soft pillow
- bad conscience
- conscience clause
- consciencelike
- conscience money
- conscience-money
- conscience-proof
- conscience round
- conscience vote
- conscientious
- examination of conscience
- exile of conscience
- freedom of conscience
- guilty conscience
- in all conscience
- in conscience
- in good conscience
- liberty of conscience
- make conscience
- my conscience
- of all conscience
- on one's conscience
- pang of conscience
- prisoner of conscience
- pseudoconscience
- speak one's conscience
Related terms
Collocations
Adjectives often used with "conscience"
good, bad, guilty. A good conscience is one free from guilt, a bad conscience the opposite.
Collocations
Some phrases with "conscience"
for reasons of conscience, to make a matter of conscience, the dictates of one's conscience
Translations
moral sense
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See also
Further reading
- “conscience”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “conscience”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
French
Etymology
Inherited from Old French conscience, borrowed from Latin cōnscientia (“knowledge within oneself”), from consciens, present participle of conscire (“to know, to be conscious (of wrong)”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kɔ̃.sjɑ̃s/
Audio (France, Paris) (file) - Homophone: consciences
- Hyphenation: con‧science
Noun
conscience f (plural consciences)
Antonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- “conscience”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.
Middle English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Borrowed from Old French conscience, from Latin conscientia (“knowledge within oneself”).
Noun
conscience (plural consciences)
Descendants
- English: conscience
- Yola: coshes, coshe, cosh
- → Irish: coinsias
References
- “conscience, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Old French
Alternative forms
- cunscience (Anglo-Norman)
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin conscientia (“knowledge within oneself”).
Noun
conscience oblique singular, f (oblique plural consciences, nominative singular conscience, nominative plural consciences)
- conscience
- la conscience ne remort point a ces riches homme
- the conscience doesn't bite these rich men
Descendants
- French: conscience
- → Middle English: conscience, consience, conciens
- English: conscience
- Yola: coshes, coshe, cosh
- → Irish: coinsias