Dictionary

squeamish en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• (US) audio
• /ˈskwiːmɪʃ/

Etymology

Origin obscure. Likely a merger of earlier squeamous (“squeamish”), from Middle English squaimous, queimous, from Anglo-Norman escoimus, escoymous, of unknown origin; and dialectal English sweamish, sweemish (“faint, squeamish”), from sweam (“dizziness, sudden qualm of sickness”) and dialectal sweem (“to swoon, be faint, be overcome, feel sick”), from Middle English swemen (“to grieve, make suffer, be faint of heart”), from Old English *swǣman (“to grieve, trouble, afflict”). If so, then related to swim (“to be dizzy, swoon”). See also sweam.

Meanings

1. Easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseated or nervous; oversensitive.
   • He might have made a good doctor, had he not been so squeamish at the sight of blood.
2. Averse or reluctant.

Forms

Deriveds

squeamishness · squeamishly · oversqueamish · unsqueamish

Translations (34)

nl snel misselijk (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · ga consaeitiúil (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · es remilgado (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · es afectable (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · ru брезгли́вый (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · pl wrażliwy (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · hu kényes (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · hu fanyalog (averse or reluctant) · de zimperlich (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · es aprensivo (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · hu finnyás (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · bg гнуслив (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · nl teergevoelig (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · ru оби́дчивый (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · fa نازکنارنجی (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · sv mjäkig (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · de empfindlich (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · ru чувстви́тельный (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · es nauseabundo (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · da berøringsangst (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · sv äckelmagad (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · nl kleinzerig (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · cs citlivý (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · es asquiento (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · hu fanyalgós (averse or reluctant) · ga samhnasach (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · es quisquilloso (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · cs choulostivý (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · sv pjoskig (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · hu émelygésre hajlamos (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · no pysete (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · fi herkkähermoinen (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · es impresionable (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated) · la fastīdiōsus (easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseous or nauseated)