Pity

Pity
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]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Pity — implies tender or sometimes slightly contemptuous sorrow for one in misery or distress. By the nineteenth century, two different kinds of pity had come to be distinguished, which we might call benevolent pity and contemptuous pity (see Kimball).… …   Wikipedia

  • pity — [pit′ē] n. pl. pities [ME pite < OFr pitet < L pietas: see PIETY] 1. sorrow felt for another s suffering or misfortune; compassion; sympathy 2. the ability to feel such compassion 3. a cause for sorrow or regret vt., vi. pitied, pitying [ …   English World dictionary

  • pity — ► NOUN (pl. pities) 1) a feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the sufferings of others. 2) a cause for regret or disappointment. ► VERB (pities, pitied) ▪ feel pity for. ● for pity s sake …   English terms dictionary

  • pity — (n.) early 13c., from O.Fr. pite, pitet (11c., Mod.Fr. pitié), from L. pietatem (nom. pietas) piety, affection, duty, in L.L. gentleness, kindness, pity, from pius (see PIOUS (Cf. pious)). Replaced O.E. mildheortness, lit. mild heartness, itself… …   Etymology dictionary

  • pity — [n1] feeling of mercy toward another benevolence, charity, clemency, comfort, commiseration, compassion, compunction, condolement, condolence, dejection, distress, empathy, favor, forbearance, goodness, grace, humanity, kindliness, kindness,… …   New thesaurus

  • Pity — Pit y, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Pitied}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Pitying}.] 1. To feel pity or compassion for; to have sympathy with; to compassionate; to commiserate; to have tender feelings toward (any one), awakened by a knowledge of suffering. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pity — Pit y, v. i. To be compassionate; to show pity. [1913 Webster] I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy. Jer. xiii. 14. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pity — pity·ing; pity; pity·ing·ly; …   English syllables

  • pity — The type Pity we can t get this to work is an acceptable conversational shortening of It is a pity that… …   Modern English usage

  • Pity — (Pitje), holländische Benennung der japanischen u. chinesischen Scheidemünze, deren man sonst auf Java 50 auf den Stüber rechnete …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

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