Pities

Pity Pit"y, n.; pl. {Pities}. [OE. pite, OF. pit['e], piti['e], F. piti['e], L. pietas piety, kindness, pity. See {Pious}, and cf. {Piety}.] 1. Piety. [Obs.] --Wyclif. [1913 Webster]

2. A feeling for the sufferings or distresses of another or others; sympathy with the grief or misery of another; compassion; fellow-feeling; commiseration. [1913 Webster]

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord. --Prov. xix. 17. [1913 Webster]

He . . . has no more pity in him than a dog. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3. A reason or cause of pity, grief, or regret; a thing to be regretted. ``The more the pity.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

What pity is it That we can die but once to serve our country! --Addison. [1913 Webster]

Note: In this sense, sometimes used in the plural, especially in the colloquialism: ``It is a thousand pities.'' [1913 Webster]

Syn: Compassion; mercy; commiseration; condolence; sympathy, fellow-suffering; fellow-feeling. -- {Pity}, {Sympathy}, {Compassion}. Sympathy is literally fellow-feeling, and therefore requiers a certain degree of equality in situation, circumstances, etc., to its fullest exercise. Compassion is deep tenderness for another under severe or inevitable misfortune. Pity regards its object not only as suffering, but weak, and hence as inferior. [1913 Webster]