compunction

The word compunction traces its lineage to the Latin verb pungere, meaning "to prick or sting," which itself is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root peuk-, also signifying "to prick." The Latin prefix com- intensifies the action. Thus, the Late Latin noun compunctio literally meant "a pricking together" or "a severe stinging." This vivid physical sensation was metaphorically applied in ecclesiastical Latin to describe the prickling of conscience, the internal sting of guilt for a moral failing. Over time, the word entered English, shedding its literal physicality but retaining the core abstract sense of a sharp, painful feeling of regret or scruple.