Somewhat sad, gloomy, or dreary; having a tendency toward melancholy or despondence.
Archaic formation combining 'down' (as in downcast) with the suffix '-some' (meaning 'having the quality of'). This construction was productive in Middle English for creating adjectives.
This beautiful old word treats emotions like weather—you can be 'downsome' the way a day can be dark or gloomy, suggesting sadness isn't a character flaw but a temporary state passing over you.
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