Table of Contents
The word for today is…
timorous (adj) – Full of apprehensiveness; timid.
Source : The Free Dictionary
Etymology : Timid and timorous don’t just have similar spellings and meanings; they are etymologically related as well. Both words ultimately derive from the Latin verb tim?re, meaning “to fear.” The immediate ancestor of timid is Latin timidus (with the same meaning as timid), whereas timorous traveled to Middle English by way of the Latin noun timor (“fear”) and the Medieval Latin adjective timorosus. Timid may be the more common of the two words, but timorous is older. It first appeared in English in the mid-15th century; timid came on the scene a century later. Both words can mean “easily frightened” (as in “a timid mouse” or “a timorous child”) as well as “indicating or characterized by fear” (as in “he gave a timid smile” or “she took a timorous step forward”).
If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends.
