Where does “pity” come from?
Pity derives from Middle English pite, from Anglo-Norman pite, from Latin pietas meaning dutiful conduct or loyalty, ultimately from Proto-Italic pwījotāts.
pity (English): A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or...
Definitions
- A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or...
Ancestry of “pity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | pitye | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | pité | sorrow; grief; sadness |
| 3 | Old French | pitet | Alternative form of petit; Alternative form of... |
| 4 | Latin | pietas | Dutiful conduct, sense of duty; Piety,... |
| 5 | Latin | pīus | — |
| 6 | Latin | -tās | ty, -dom, -hood, -ness, -ship |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ts | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |