Where does “sympathy” come from?
sympathy (English) comes from Middle French sympathie, from Latin sympathīa, from Ancient Greek συμπάθεια, from Ancient Greek συμπαθής, from Ancient Greek -ής, from Proto-Indo-European -ēs, from Proto-Indo-European -ess, from Proto-Indo-European -os — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
sympathy (English): A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or...
Definitions
- A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or...
Ancestry of “sympathy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | sympathie | sympathy; harmony |
| 2 | Latin | sympathīa | feeling in common, sympathy |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | συμπάθεια | fellow feeling, sympathy; affection, affinity;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | συμπαθής | affected by like feelings; sympathetic |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ής | adjective suffix |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |