qualm

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*gʷelH-
2. Proto-Indo-European*gʷolH-mos
3. Proto-Germanic*kwalmaz
4. Proto-West Germanic*kwalm
5. Old Englishcwealm
6. Middle Englishqualm
7. English todayqualm

Perhaps from Middle English qualm, cwalm (“death, sickness, plague”), which is from Old English cwealm (West Saxon: "death, disaster, plague"), ūtcualm (Anglian: "utter destruction"), from Proto-West Germanic *kwalm (“killing, death, destruction”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- (“to stick, pierce; pain, injury, death”), whence also quell. Although the sense development is possible, this has the problem that there are no attestations in intermediate senses before the appearance of "pang of apprehension, etc." in the 16th century. The alternative etymology is from Dutch kwalm or German Qualm (“steam, vapor, mist”) earlier “daze, stupefaction”, which is from the root of German quellen (“to stream, well up”). The sense “feeling of faintness” is from 1530; “uneasiness, doubt” from 1553; “scruple of conscience” from 1649.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 16th c. A feeling of apprehension, doubt, fear etc.
• from 16th c. A sudden sickly feeling; queasiness.
• from 17th c. A prick of the conscience; a moral scruple, a pang of guilt.