Scrupulousnesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of being diligent and attentive to detail in ethical principles
2. A quality characterized by moral integrity and careful adherence to standards of conduct
3. The practice of being thorough and precise in one's actions and decisions, often driven by a sense of duty

Etymology: "Scrupulousnesses" is simply the plural of "scrupulousness," which is what you get when the adjective "scrupulous" takes the suffix "-ness" to become a noun. The adjective itself comes from Latin "scrupulosus," meaning full of small sharp stones or pebbles, and by extension troubled by small doubts. The sense of a pebble in the shoe gave English a picture of a conscience that will not let a minor fault pass. The suffix "-ness" is an old native English element, descended from Old English "-nes," which formed nouns of state or quality from adjectives, so "scrupulousness" names the quality of being scrupulous. The plural form, with its -es ending, is used when several distinct instances or kinds of such conduct are being counted or compared.