Where does “pitiless” come from?
Pitiless derives from Middle English piteles, from Old English -lēas (meaning "without"), combined with Latin pietas ("dutiful conduct"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European lewH-.
pitiless (English): having, or showing, no pity; merciless; having no...
Definitions
- having, or showing, no pity; merciless; having no...
Ancestry of “pitiless”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pity | A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or... |
| 2 | Middle English | pitye | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | pité | sorrow; grief; sadness |
| 4 | Old French | pitet | Alternative form of petit; Alternative form of... |
| 5 | Latin | pietas | Dutiful conduct, sense of duty; Piety,... |
| 6 | Latin | pīus | — |
| 7 | Latin | -tās | ty, -dom, -hood, -ness, -ship |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ts | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |