Hypertext Webster Gateway: "squeamish"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Squeamish \Squeam"ish\, a. [OE. squaimous, sweymous, probably
from OE. sweem, swem, dizziness, a swimming in the head; cf.
Icel. svemr a bustle, a stir, Norw. sveim a hovering about, a
sickness that comes upon one, Icel. svimi a giddiness, AS.
sw[=i]mi. The word has been perhaps confused witrh qualmish.
Cf. {Swim} to be dizzy.]
Having a stomach that is easily or nauseated; hence, nice to
excess in taste; fastidious; easily disgusted; apt to be
offended at trifling improprieties.
Quoth he, that honor's very squeamish That takes a
basting for a blemish. --Hudibras.
His muse is rustic, and perhaps too plain The men of
squeamish taste to entertain. --Southern.
So ye grow squeamish, Gods, and sniff at heaven. --M.
Arnold.
Syn: Fastidious; dainty; overnice; scrupulous. See
{Fastidious}. -- {Squeam"ish*ly}, adv. --
{Squeam"ish*ness}, n.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
squeamish
adj : excessively fastidious and easily disgusted; "too nice about
his food to take to camp cooking"; "so squeamish he
would only touch the toilet handle with his elbow"
[syn: {dainty}, {nice}, {overnice}, {prissy}]
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