suspicion

n. [ OE. suspecioun, OF. souspeçon, F. soupçon, L. suspectio a looking up to, an esteeming highly, suspicion, fr. suspicere to look up, to esteem, to mistrust. The modern form suspicion in English and French is in imitation of L. suspicio mistrust, suspicion. See Suspect, and cf. Suspicious. ] 1. The act of suspecting; the imagination or apprehension of the existence of something (esp. something wrong or hurtful) without proof, or upon very slight evidence, or upon no evidence. [ 1913 Webster ]

Suspicions among thoughts are like bats among birds, they ever fly by twilight. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Slight degree; suggestion; hint. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The features are mild but expressive, with just a suspicion . . . of saturnine or sarcastic humor. A. W. Ward. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Jealousy; distrust; mistrust; diffidence; doubt. [ 1913 Webster ]