pathos
English
Etymology
From Ancient Greek πάθος (pathos, “suffering”).
Pronunciation
Noun
pathos (countable and uncountable; plural pathoses)
- That quality or property of anything which touches the feelings or excites emotions and passions, especially, that which awakens tender emotions, such as pity, sorrow, and the like; contagious warmth of feeling, action, or expression; pathetic quality.
- 1874, Thomas Hardy, Far From The Madding Crowd, 1874:
- His voice had a genuine pathos now, and his large brown hands perceptibly trembled.
- 1874, Thomas Hardy, Far From The Madding Crowd, 1874:
- (rhetoric) A writer's attempt to persuade an audience through appeals involving the use of strong emotions not strictly limited to pity.
- (literature) An author's attempt to evoke a feeling of pity or sympathetic sorrow for a character.
- (theology, philosophy) In theology and existentialist ethics following Kierkegaard and Heidegger, a deep and abiding commitment of the heart, as in the notion of "finding your passion" as an important aspect of a fully lived, engaged life.
Quotations
- For usage examples of this term, see the citations page.
Related terms
Translations
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
External links
- pathos in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- pathos in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
Pathos on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
