conscience

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The part of your mind that tells you whether what you are doing is right or wrong.

   His conscience would not let him keep the money he had found.

2. 2
   noun

   A feeling of guilt about something bad you have done.

   They have no conscience about their cruelty to animals.

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”).

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