conscience English · revision 10817

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=before 1200|origins=fro conscience|origins=la conscientia}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈkɒn.ʃəns/, US /ˈkɑːn.ʃəns/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fro|conscience|t=conscience, innermost thoughts]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) a learned borrowing of Latin cōnscientia, joint knowledge, consciousness, moral sense,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) from cōnsciēns, present participle of cōnscīre, to know well, be conscious of wrong,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) from con-, with, thoroughly, and scīre, to know (see [[science]]).^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The faculty of knowing what is right, especially in Christian ethics: probably before 1200, in the Ancrene Riwle;^(Barnhart 1988) about 1200 in Etymonline.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Latin cōnscientia is probably a loan translation of Greek suneídēsis, “with-knowledge”,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) and was itself translated as German Gewissen, the model for Swedish samvete, and as Middle English inwit, as in the Ayenbite of Inwyt, “Remorse of Conscience”.^(Barnhart 1988) In Middle English conscience also meant inward knowledge or consciousness (about 1325) and inmost thought (about 1340), senses now obsolete.^(OED 1989)^(NODE 1998) Awareness of whether one's acts match one's ideal of right is the later general sense.^(Etymonline) ''Conscientious'' is from the 17th century.^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1200 – moral sense.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1325 – inward knowledge (obsolete).^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1340 – inmost thought (obsolete).^(OED 1989)

+ * 17th century – conscientious.^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The inner sense of right and wrong that guides a person's thoughts and actions.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A feeling of guilt or [[obligation]]: ''a guilty conscience''.^(AHD)

+ # ''in all conscience'': in fairness.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[conscienceless]]

+ * [[consciencelessly]]

+ * [[consciencelessness]]

+ * [[conscientious]]

+ * [[conscience money]]

+ * [[conscience clause]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[conscionable]]

+ * [[consciousness]]

+ * [[conscious]]

+ * [[science]]

+ * [[nice]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}