squeamish

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English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Origin obscure. Likely a merger of earlier squeamous (“squeamish”), from Middle English squaimous, queimous, from Anglo-Norman escoimus, escoymous, of unknown origin; and dialectal English sweamish, sweemish (“faint, squeamish”), from sweam (“dizziness, sudden qualm of sickness”) and dialectal sweem (“to swoon, be faint, be overcome, feel sick”), from Middle English swemen (“to grieve, make suffer, be faint of heart”), from Old English *swǣman (“to grieve, trouble, afflict”). If so, then related to swim (“to be dizzy, swoon”). See also sweam.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈskwiːmɪʃ/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -iːmɪʃ

Adjective

squeamish (comparative more squeamish, superlative most squeamish)

  1. Easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseated or nervous; oversensitive.
    He might have made a good doctor, had he not been so squeamish at the sight of blood.
  2. Averse or reluctant.

Translations

Further reading

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