Old English cwealm (West Saxon) "death, murder, slaughter; disaster; plague; torment," utcualm (Anglian) "utter destruction," probably related to cwellan "to kill, murder, execute," cwelan "to die" (see quell). Sense softened to "feeling of faintness" 1520s; figurative meaning "uneasiness, doubt" is from 1550s; that of "scruple of conscience" is 1640s.
Evidence of a direct path from the Old English to the modern senses is wanting, but it is plausible, via the notion of "fit of sickness." The other suggested etymology, less satisfying, is to take the "fit of uneasiness" sense from Dutch kwalm "steam, vapor, mist" (cognate with German Qualm "smoke, vapor, stupor"), which also might be ultimately from the same Germanic root as quell.
雙語例句
1. Did she see her husband as capable of murder? She had used the word without a qualm.
她覺得自己的丈夫可能殺人嗎？在使用這個字眼的時候，她沒有絲毫的不安。
來自柯林斯例句
2. Hurstwood suffered a qualm of body as the car rolled up.
當電車開上前時,赫斯渥渾身感到一陣不安.
來自英漢文學 - 嘉莉妹妹
3. The doctor seemed seized with a qualm of faintness.
博士顯得好象一陣眩暈發作.
來自辭典例句
4. Lastly she arrived at the tresses and felt a qualm of disgust.
最后,她看到提到頭發的那一句,心里覺得一陣惡心.
來自辭典例句
5. They never know that exam make us qualm and dissatisfaction.