pity

English

Alternative forms

• pittie, pitty, pitie (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English pitye, pitie, pittye, pitee, pite, from Anglo-Norman pité, pittee etc., from Old French pitet, pitié, from Latin pietās. See also the doublets pietà and piety.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɪti/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪti

Noun

pity (countable and uncountable, plural pities)

1. (uncountable) A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.

   I can't feel any pity towards the gang, who got injured while attempting to break into a flat.

   take pity on someone

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Proverbs 19:17:

     He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord.

   • c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene iii]:

     He […] has no more pity in him than a dog.

   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:

     , Folio Society, 2006, p.5:

     The most usuall way to appease those minds we have offended […] is, by submission to move them to commiseration and pitty.

2. (countable) Something regrettable.

   It's a pity you're feeling unwell because there's a party on tonight.

   What a pity about the band breaking up. I loved them!

   • 1759–1767, [Laurence Sterne], The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, volume (please specify |volume=I to IX), London: […] T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, […]:

     It was a thousand pities.

   • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, OCLC 79426475, Act I, scene v, page 1:

     What pity is it / That we can die but once to serve our country!

   • 1941 September, O. S. Nock, “The Locomotives of Sir Nigel Gresley: Part V”, in Railway Magazine, page 395:

     It is a thousand pities that no more detailed records than those of the guard's journals are available, but enough is known to establish them firmly among the finest feats ever achieved by "A3" Pacifics.

3. (obsolete) Piety.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Wyclif to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (mercy): ruth
• (something regrettable): shame

Translations

feeling of sympathy

• Arabic: شَفَقَة‎ f (šafaqa)

  Egyptian Arabic: شفقة‎ f (šafaʾa)

• Armenian: խղճահարություն (hy) (xłčaharutʿyun)
• Assamese: পুতৌ (putou)
• Belarusian: жаль m (žalʹ), лі́тасць f (lítascʹ), жа́ласць f (žálascʹ)
• Bulgarian: жа́лост (bg) f (žálost)
• Catalan: pietat (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 憐憫／怜悯 (zh) (liánmǐn)

• Czech: soucit (cs) m, lítost (cs) f
• Danish: medlidenhed c
• Dutch: medelijden (nl) n, deernis (nl) f
• Esperanto: kompato
• Finnish: sääli (fi)
• French: compassion (fr) f, pitié (fr) f
• Galician: compaixón f, piedade (gl) f, macela (gl) f, amerceamento m
• Georgian: სიბრალული (sibraluli)
• German: Mitleid (de) n
• Gothic: 𐌱𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌸𐌴𐌹 f (bleiþei)
• Greek: οίκτος (el) m (oíktos)

  Ancient: ἔλεος n (éleos), οἶκτος m (oîktos), οἰκτιρμός m (oiktirmós), ἐλεημοσύνη f (eleēmosúnē), ἐλεητύς f (eleētús), συμπάθεια f (sumpátheia), σπλάγχνον n (splánkhnon)

• Hungarian: könyörület (hu), szánalom (hu)
• Icelandic: samúð (is) m
• Irish: trua f
• Italian: pietà (it) f
• Japanese: 憐れみ (ja) (あわれみ, awaremi)
• Korean: 동정 (ko) (dongjeong)
• Latin: misericordia (la) f
• Macedonian: жалост f (žalost)
• Malayalam: സഹതാപം (ml) (sahatāpaṃ)
• Maori: whakaaroha, aroha (mi)
• Occitan: pietat (oc) f
• Ottoman Turkish: رحم‎ (rahm)
• Plautdietsch: Jauma n, Jaumahoat n
• Polish: współczucie (pl) n, litość (pl) f
• Portuguese: pena (pt) f
• Romanian: compasiune (ro) f, milă (ro) f, compătimire (ro) f
• Russian: жа́лость (ru) f (žálostʹ), сострада́ние (ru) n (sostradánije), сочу́вствие (ru) n (sočúvstvije)
• Sanskrit: करुणा (sa) f (karuṇā), दया (sa) f (dayā)
• Scottish Gaelic: iochd m, oircheas m, tròcair f, truas m, truacantas m
• Sicilian: cumpiatà f
• Slovak: súcit m
• Spanish: compasión (es) f, piedad (es), lástima (es) f
• Swedish: medlidande (sv) c, medömkan
• Telugu: జాలి (te) (jāli)
• Thai: การสงสาร (th) (gaan-sǒng-sǎan)
• Tocharian B: karuṃ
• Turkish: şefkat (tr), merhamet (tr), acıma (tr)
• Ukrainian: жаль m (žalʹ), жа́лість f (žálistʹ)
• Urdu: افسوس‎ (afsos), ہمدردی‎ (hamdardī)
• Uyghur: ئەپسۈس‎ (epsüs)
• Welsh: trueni (cy) m

something regrettable

• Belarusian: жаль m (žalʹ)
• Bulgarian: жал (bg) m (žal)
• Catalan: llàstima (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: (adjective used: see entry) 可惜 (zh) (kěxī)

• Czech: škoda (cs) f
• Danish: synd (da) c
• Dutch: jammer (nl), spijtig (nl)
• Esperanto: domaĝo
• Finnish: sääli (fi), ikävä (fi)
• French: dommage (fr) m, honte (fr)
• Galician: pena (gl) f, mágoa (gl) f
• Georgian: სამწუხარო (samc̣uxaro), საწყენი (sac̣q̇eni)
• German: schade (de)
• Hungarian: kár (hu)
• Irish: trua f
• Italian: peccato (it) m
• Japanese: 残念 (ja) (ざんねん, zannen)
• Neapolitan: peccato m
• Polish: szkoda (pl) n
• Portuguese: pena (pt) f, lástima (pt) f
• Romanian: păcat (ro) n
• Russian: жаль (ru) f (žalʹ), сожале́ние (ru) n (sožalénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: beud m, dìobhail m
• Slovak: škoda f
• Spanish: lástima (es) f, pena (es) f
• Swedish: synd (sv) c
• Thai: ความน่าเสียดาย (kwaam-nâa-sǐia-daai)
• Ukrainian: жаль m (žalʹ)
• Welsh: trueni (cy) m
• Yiddish: שאָד‎ m (shod)

Verb

pity (third-person singular simple present pities, present participle pitying, simple past and past participle pitied)

1. (transitive) To feel pity for (someone or something). [from 15th c.]

   You have got to pity the guy - he lost his wife, mother and job in the same month.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Psalms 103:13:

     Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

   • 1902, Hilaire Belloc, The Path to Rome:

     Nor could she get round them on a single point, and I pitied her so much that I bought bread and wine off her to console her, and I let her overcharge me, and went out into the afterglow with her benediction, followed also by the farewells of the middle-class, who were now taking their coffee at little tables outside the house.

2. (transitive, now regional) To make (someone) feel pity; to provoke the sympathy or compassion of. [from 16th c.]
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto XI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938:

     She lenger yet is like captiv'd to bee; / That even to thinke thereof it inly pitties mee.

   • a. 1681, Richard Allestree, Of Gods Method in giving Deliverance

     It pitieth them to see her in the dust.

Translations

to feel pity for someone or something — See also translations at take pity

• Cherokee: ᎦᏙᎵᎦ (gadoliga)
• Armenian: խղճալ (hy) (xłčal)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 可憐／可怜 (ho² lin⁴)

  Mandarin: 可憐／可怜 (zh) (kělián)

• Czech: litovat (cs) impf, mít soucit impf (s kým), být líto impf (koho)
• Dutch: beklagen (nl)
• Esperanto: kompati
• Finnish: sääliä (fi)
• French: plaindre (fr), avoir pitié de
• Galician: condoer, coudecer, amercear
• German: bemitleiden (de), Mitleid haben mit
• Greek: λυπάμαι (el) (lypámai), οικτίρω (el) (oiktíro)

  Ancient: ἐλεέω (eleéō), ἐλεαίρω (eleaírō), οἰκτίρω (oiktírō), οἰμώζω (oimṓzō), ὀλοφύρομαι (olophúromai)

• Hebrew: רָחַם‎ (he) (rakhám)
• Hungarian: megkönyörül (hu), megszán (hu), megesik rajta a szíve
• Irish: trua a bheith agat do

  Old Irish: ar·cessi

• Italian: compatire (it)
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Ladino: adjidear
• Latin: misereor, miseret
• Malayalam: സഹതപിക്കുക (sahatapikkuka)
• Maori: whakaaroha
• Ngazidja Comorian: usikinia
• Portuguese: apiedar-se de, sentir dó de, sentir compaixão por
• Russian: жале́ть (ru) impf (žalétʹ), пожале́ть (ru) pf (požalétʹ)
• Spanish: tener lástima, compadecer (es)
• Swedish: tycka synd om (sv)
• Thai: สงสาร (th) (sǒng-sǎan)
• Tocharian B: wärs-
• Urdu: ترس‎ (taras), ترس آنا‎ (taras ānā)
• Vietnamese: tội nghiệp (vi), tội (vi)

Interjection

pity!

1. Short form of what a pity.

Synonyms

• shame, what a pity, what a shame

Translations

what a pity — see what a pity

Derived terms

Derived terms

• piteous
• pitiable
• pitiful
• pitisome
• self-pity
• what a pity

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpɪtɪ]

Verb

pity

1. inflection of pít:
   1. inanimate masculine plural passive participle
   2. feminine plural passive participle

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpʲitɨ/

Participle

pity

1. past passive participle of piś

Declension

Declension of pity

	Masculine singular	Feminine singular	Neuter singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	pity	pita	pite	pitej	pite
Genitive	pitego	piteje	pitego	piteju	pitych
Dative	pitemu	pitej	pitemu	pityma	pitym
Accusative	pity pitego (animate)	pitu	pite	pitej piteju (animate)	pite pitych (optional animate form)
Instrumental	pitym	piteju	pitym	pityma	pitymi
Locative	pitem	pitej	pitem	pityma	pitych

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpi.tɨ/
• Rhymes: -itɨ
• Syllabification: pi‧ty

Participle

pity

1. masculine singular passive adjectival participle of pić

Declension

Declension of pity

case	singular				plural
	masculine personal/animate	masculine inanimate	neuter	feminine	virile	nonvirile
nominative, vocative	pity		pite	pita	pici	pite
genitive	pitego			pitej	pitych
dative	pitemu				pitym
accusative	pitego	pity	pite	pitą	pitych	pite
instrumental	pitym				pitymi
locative				pitej	pitych

Noun

pity f

1. inflection of pita:
   1. genitive singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative plural