Scrupulosity is a medical term that refers to a relatively common form of obsessive–compulsive disorder characterized by pathological guilt about religious or moral issues. It is often highly distressing, and attributed to compulsive observance of religious rituals. The term is derived from the Latin scrupulum, a sharp stone, implying a stabbing pain on the conscience. Scrupulosity was formerly called scruples in religious contexts, but the word scruples now commonly refers to a troubling of the conscience rather than to the disorder.