tĭmĕo, ŭi, 2, v. a. and n. [root tam-; Sanscr. tam-yati, to be stupefied; tamas, darkness; cf. temulentus], to fear, be afraid of, to dread, apprehend; to be afraid or in fear, to be fearful, apprehensive, or anxious; constr. with acc., rel.-clause, inf., ne or ut, and absol.
- 1. With acc. (class.; syn.: vereor, metuo, paveo): quamquam omnia sunt metuenda, nihil magis quam perfidiam timemus, Cic. Fam. 1, 5, a, 2: timeo meos, Plaut. Truc. 5, 63; cf.: quos aliquamdiu inermes timuissent, Caes. B. G. 1, 40: oppidanos, Hirt. B. G. 8, 27: saxum Tantalus, Lucr. 3, 981 sq.: portus omnes, Caes. B. C. 3, 6: reliquos casus, id. ib. 3, 10: nomen atque imperium absentis, id. ib. 1, 61: numinis iram, Ov. M. 6, 314: flagitium pejus leto, Hor. C. 4, 9, 50: cuncta (amantes), Ov. M. 7, 719: aeternas poenas timendum’st, Lucr. 1, 111.
In pass.: morbos esse timendos, Lucr. 3, 41; so, si ipse fulgor timeretur, Quint. 8, 3, 5: si Cn. Pompeius timeretur, id. 4, 2, 25.
Pregn., to have to fear, i. e. to be exposed to, contend against: pro telis gerit quae timuit et quae fudit, Sen. Herc. Fur. 40 sq.; 793: feras, id. Herc. Oet. 270.
With dat. of the object for which one fears something: nostrae causae nihil nos timere, Quint. 11, 1, 75: patronum justitiae suae, id. 4, 1, 9: furem caulibus aut pomis, Juv. 6, 17: noxiam vini aegris, Plin. 14, 16, 19, § 101.
With de: de suo ac legionis periculo nihil timebat, Caes. B. G. 5, 57: nihil de bello, id. ib. 3, 3: de se nihil timere, Cic. Sest. 1, 1.
With pro and abl.: quid pro quoque timendum, aut a quoque timendum sit, Cic. Ep. ad Brut. 1, 16, 2: pro amicis omnia timui, pro me nihil. Sen. Q. N. 4, praef. § 15.
- 2. With rel.-clause (class.): misera timeo, quid hoc sit negotii, Plaut. Poen. 5, 4, 79: timeo, quid rerum gesserim, id. Mil. 2, 4, 44: quid possem, timebam, Cic. Att. 12, 24, 1: nunc istic quid agatur, magnopere timeo, id. ib. 3, 8, 2; jam nunc timeo, quidnam … pro exspectatione omnium eloqui possim, id. Div. in Caecil. 13, 42: misera timeo, incertum hoc quorsum accidat, Ter. And. 1, 5, 29; cf.: haec quo sint eruptura timeo, Cic. Att. 2, 20, 5.
With dat.: nunc nostrae timeo parti, quid hic respondeat, Ter. And. 2, 5, 8.
- 3. With inf. (freq. since the Aug. per.; not in Cic.): Caesar etsi timebat tantae magnitudinis flumini exercitum obicere, etc., Caes. B. C. 1, 64: equites cum intrare fumum et flammam densissimam timerent, Hirt. B. G. 8, 16: timebant prisci truncum findere, Plin. 17, 14, 24, § 102: nec jurare time, Tib. 1, 4, 21; Hor. C. 1, 8, 8; 3, 24, 56; id. S. 1, 4, 23; id. Ep. 1, 5, 2; 1, 7, 4; 1, 19, 27; 2, 1, 114; id. A. P. 170; 197; Ov. M. 1, 593; 12, 246.
Rarely with acc. and inf.: ni cedenti instaturum alterum timuissent, Liv. 10, 36, 3.
- 4. With ne or ut (class.): metuo et timeo, ne hoc tandem propalam fiat, Plaut. Mil. 4, 8, 38: timeo, ne malefacta mea sint inventa omnia, id. Truc. 4, 2, 61: haec timeo ne impediantur, D. Brut. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 10, 4: neque timerent, ne circumvenirentur, Caes. B. G. 2, 26: non times, ne locum perdas, Quint. 6, 3, 63: timuit, ne non succederet, Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 37: timere, ne non virtute hostium, sed lassitudine suā vincerentur, Curt. 3, 17, 9: timeo, ut sustineas, Cic. Fam. 14, 2, 3: ut satis commode supportari posset (res frumentaria), timere dicebant, Caes. B. G. 1, 39.
- 5. Absol. (freq. in prose and poetry): fac, ego ne metuam igitur et ut tu meam timeas vicem, Plaut. Most. 5, 2, 24: salva est navis, ne time, id. Merc. 1, 2, 64; so, ne time, id. Am. 2, 2, 42; 5, 1, 12; id. Cas. 4, 4, 13; id. Curc. 4, 2, 34: timentibus ceteris propter ignorationem locorum, Cic. Rep. 1, 17, 29; cf.: timentes confirmat, Caes. B. G. 7, 7: cottidie aliquid fit lenius quam timebamus, Cic. Fam. 6, 10, 5: timere et admirari, Quint. 9, 2, 26; 9, 2, 86.
With de: de re publicā valde timeo, Cic. Att. 7, 6, 2.
With ab: a quo quidem genere ego numquam timui, Cic. Sull. 20, 59.
With pro (poet. and post-Aug.): pro eo timebam, Curt. 6, 10, 27: timentem pro capite amicissimo, Plin. Ep. 3, 17, 3: quamvis pericliter, plus tamen pro te timeo, Sen. Contr. 7, 20, 1: indulgentia pro suis timentium, id. ib. 9, 26, 2, B: qui pro illo nimium timet, id. Ep. 14, 1: qui eget divitiis timet pro illis, id. ib. 14, 18; 90, 43: pro Aristippi animā, Gell. 19, 1, 10: timuere dei pro vindice terrae, Ov. M. 9, 241.
Pregn., with abl. (poet.): timuit exterrita pennis Ales, expressed its fear, Verg. A. 5, 505.
Freq. with dat. of the object for which one fears: tibi timui, Ter. Heaut. 3, 2, 20; cf.: qui sibi timuerant, Caes. B. C. 3, 27: alicui, Quint. 8, 5, 15; Verg. A. 2, 729; Hor. C. 3, 27, 7; id. S. 2, 1, 23: suis rebus, Caes. B. G. 4, 16: huic loco, id. ib. 7, 44: receptui suo, id. B. C. 3, 69: urbi, Hor. C. 3, 29, 26.
Impers. pass.: urbi timetur, Luc. 7, 138: Sen. Med. 885.
- * 6. Timens like timidus, with gen.: mortis timentes, Lucr. 6, 1239.