A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375, 1527-1605
[1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Cummersum, Cumbersum, adj. Also: cumbyrsum, cumbersume, -some; cummyr-, cum(m)irsum, cummer-, commersom. [e.m.E. cumbersome (1573), comber-, combresome (1555), f. cumber Cummer n.1]
1. Of places: Difficult to pass over or through; obstructing progress or movement. 1375 Barb. xiii. 351 (E).
Bannokburne, that sua cumbyrsum [C. cummyrsum] was, … That thar mycht nane out our it rid 1533 Boece vi. vii. 198.
The chiftanis … allegiand the armye of Bassiane in ane cummyrsum place for batell 1533 Ib. xv. vi. 583 b.
Thai fenȝeit to fle till ane hill strat and cummersum to the ascendaris 1574 Reg. Privy C. MS. XLII. 42 b.
Thair heavin … verie cummersum in windis … to schippis a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 340.
The craige so cumbersome to clime 1596 Dalr. I. 28/15.
Gif a dangerous hill … war nocht cummirsum and contrare to it 1596 Ib. 91/5.
Quhither the way war lang and plane or gif it was cumirsum
2. Troublesome; causing trouble or difficulty. 1527 Acts Lords of Council MS. XXXVII. 15.
That thar be na cummyrsum besines, … in the calling of tham 1535 Stewart 45907.
Thair naimes now I like nocht to rehers, So cummersum tha ar to put in vers 1549 Complaynte of Scotland 139/33.
He that is the maist cummirsum cryar, … ȝe reput hym for the maist prudent man c 1555 Wemyss Corres. 10.
Becaus it wald be cummersum to … caus the saidis plegeis be kepit 1576 Waus Corr. I. 115.
He grew cummirsum, and spak prud wordis, that thai … mycht scaircelie suffer him 1583 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 184.
Becaus it was cummersum work the said Dauid wald haif na les for the stane wecht nor xxviij s. 1596 Dalr. I. 14/12.
A weirlie peple … , ay cumirsum and rebellious to the Romanis selfes 1596 Ib. 120/3.
Gif ony cummirsum or trubelsum caus fal out a1598 Fergusson Prov. (S.T.S.) 27.
Courtesie is commersome to them that knawes it not a1598 Ib. (1706) 260.
A cummersome cur in a company is hated for his miscarriages
3. Full of trouble; troublous. 1545 Reg. Privy C. I. 22.
[Being] vexit thir thre yeris bigane because of the cummersum and evill wardill 1578 Ib. III. 79.
To hauld ane justice court thair to understand the estait of this cummersum cuntrie c 1580 Maxwell Mem. II. 148.
The cumbersum and triblus warld
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Cummersum adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/cummersum>
