a. Now dial. Also 7–9 timer-, timour-, erron. timber-, (8 timbor-, 8–9 timmor-). [app. f. timor-ous, timer-ous, with substitution of -some suffix for -ous; cf. burthen-ous, burthen-some, quarrel-ous, quarrel-some, and esp. humorous, humorsome (but humor was in common English use, which timor was not).]
1. Subject to or characterized by fear; timorous, timid.
1599–1600. G. Ruggle, Club Law, I. iv. Impossible for a man to be a … Headsman … that is timbersome or afraid.
1602. Segar, Hon. Mil. & Civ., I. xxx. 39. The second was impotent of his feet, and the third timersome.
a. 1652. Brome, Covent Gard., V. i. I never saw a man so timoursome.
1749. Fielding, Tom Jones, VIII. viii. He is a timborsome Man every Body knows.
1818. Scott, Lett. to D. Terry, 30 April, in Lockhart. Last night … the very same noise occurred. Mrs. S., as you know, is rather timbersome, so up got I, with Beardie’s broadsword under my arm…. But nothing was out of order.
1840. Marryat, Poor Jack, xxi. A mighty timorsome sort of young chap he appeared for to be.
1897. Baring-Gould, Bladys, xxvi. I’m forced, when feeling timorsome of nights, to bolt my door.
2. Inspiring fear, fearful, dreadful; = TIMOROUS 2. rare.
1894. Blackmore, Perlycross, 191. It looks … so … strange and ungodly, and—and so timoursome.
