Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “pitoyable” come from?

pitoyable (French) comes from French pitié, from Old French pité, from Latin pietas, from Latin pīus, from Latin -tās, from Proto-Indo-European -teh₂ts, from Proto-Indo-European -teh₂, from Proto-Indo-European -tós — Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems.

pitoyable (French): pitiful; pathetic, contemptible

Definitions

  1. pitiful; pathetic, contemptible

Ancestry of “pitoyable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchpitiépity, mercy
2Old Frenchpitésorrow; grief; sadness
3LatinpietasDutiful conduct, sense of duty; Piety,...
4Latinpīus—
5Latin-tās—
6Proto-Indo-European-teh₂tsUsed to form nouns representing state of being
7Proto-Indo-European-teh₂Used to form nouns representing state of being
8Proto-Indo-European-tósCreates verbal adjectives from verb stems

Words derived from “pitoyable”

  • pitoyablement
  • impitoyablement
  • impitoyable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tós →