tim
Latinfear, afraid
About This Root
The root tim comes from Latin timēre, "to fear." From the verb came the adjective timidus — describing a person full of fear, easily startled. Everything in this small family traces back to that single feeling: fear sitting in the chest.
The most direct member is timid. It is simply timidus in English clothing: someone who lacks courage, who shrinks from the world. A timid child hides behind a parent; a timid voice trails off before the sentence ends. The feeling has turned inward — timid people are not afraid of one specific thing, they are generally fearful, hesitant, easily intimidated.
From timid English built the noun timidity with the suffix -ity (state, quality): the condition of being timid. It names the trait itself — the shyness, the holding back — and is often used for behaviour that is too cautious: "the timidity of the committee's response."
Timorous is the older, more literary sibling. It comes from the Latin noun timor (fear) plus -ous (full of), so its literal sense is "full of fear." In practice the two words drift slightly apart. Timid describes a settled personality trait — a timid person, by nature shy. Timorous leans toward a momentary, trembling fearfulness — a timorous glance, a timorous knock at the door — the fear you can almost see happening. Timorous is rarer and feels more old-fashioned or bookish; timid is the everyday word.
The prefixed pair is the most useful. Take in- here meaning "into" (not the negative in-), add timidus, and you get intimidate: literally "to put fear into" someone. You don't intimidate a wall — you intimidate a person, by making them feel small, afraid, unwilling to act: a bully intimidates classmates, a hostile crowd intimidates a witness. The noun intimidation (with -tion, act/process) names that behaviour: voter intimidation, intimidation tactics.
One important warning. The word intimate ("close, private; to hint") looks like it belongs here, but it does not. It comes from a completely different Latin word, intimus, the superlative of in meaning "innermost." An intimate friend is your innermost friend; to intimate something is to make it known from deep within. That is closeness, not fear — same spelling fragment, unrelated origin. The fear family is timid / timidity / timorous / intimidate / intimidation; intimate is an outsider.
Think of a timid mouse that freezes at the smallest sound. Every tim- word carries that flinch of fear: timid and timorous describe the frightened one, and to intimidate is to put that fear into somebody. (Careful: intimate is not in this family — it means innermost, not afraid.)
Core Words Deep Dive
The few words from this family worth telling in full — one by one.
The plain heart of the family — basically Latin timidus unchanged. It describes a general lack of courage rather than fear of one thing: a timid smile, a timid first step. Note the contrast with timorous below: timid is a steady personality trait (a timid person), timorous is a quivering, in-the-moment fear.
in- (into) + timidus (afraid) = 'to put fear into.' The most useful word here because the prefix does visible work: you intimidate a person, not an object, by making them feel afraid or powerless. Don't confuse this in- with the negative in- (as in invisible) — here it means 'into,' the same in- as in inject.
From the noun timor (fear) + -ous (full of) = 'full of fear.' Rarer and more literary than timid. It captures fear in motion — a timorous glance, a timorous knock — rather than a fixed trait. If you can almost see the person trembling as they act, timorous fits; if you're naming their character, use timid.
timid + -ity (state, quality) = the trait of being timid. Beyond personal shyness, it is often used to criticize over-caution in institutions or decisions: 'the timidity of the reform,' 'political timidity.' The fear has become an abstract noun you can point to and judge.
Related Roots
Both involve fear, but phob is Greek and names specific, often clinical fears (claustrophobia, arachnophobia, phobic). tim is Latin and describes a general, personal timidity (timid, intimidate). Named fear of one thing → phob; a fearful disposition or scaring someone → tim.
terr (from terrēre) is the stronger, more active cousin: it produces terror, terrify, deter — intense fear or driving someone off through fear. tim is the milder, inward side: shyness, hesitancy, being easily frightened. Overwhelming dread → terr; quiet fearfulness → tim.
trem (from tremere, to shake) is the physical sign of fear — trembling, tremor, tremble. tim is the emotion itself. Often they go together: a timorous, trembling figure. The body shakes (trem) because of the fear (tim).
Associated Words · 5
intimidate
To frighten or threaten someone into doing something
intimidation
The act of threatening or frightening someone
timid
Lacking courage or confidence; easily frightened
timidity
The state of being timid; lack of courage or confidence
timorous
Easily frightened; timid and shy