# pity

Pronunciation: say "PI-tee" /ˈpɪ.ti/

## Noun

1. A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of another person or thing.
   - Simple: A feeling of being sad for someone because they are suffering or in trouble.
   - _A wave of pity swept over her as she watched the refugees arrive._
   - _He gave the beggar a few coins out of pity rather than duty._
2. A regrettable fact or situation; something one wishes were otherwise.
   - Simple: Something sad or disappointing that you wish were different.
   - _It would be a pity to waste such fine weather sitting indoors._
   - _The demolition of the old theater was a real pity for the town._

## Verb

3. To feel sympathy or sorrow for someone or something in difficulty.
   - Simple: To feel sad for someone because they are suffering or having a hard time.
   - _Don't pity me; I made these choices with my eyes open._
   - _The villagers pitied the orphan and quietly took him in._
5. To make someone feel pity; to stir their sympathy or compassion. *(dialectal)*
   - Simple: To make someone feel sorry and full of sympathy for another person or thing.
   - _Their hardship would pity even a hardened stranger._
   - _It pitied her to watch the neighbors pack up the farm they had worked for forty years._

## Interjection

4. Ellipsis of what a pity. — Ellipsis of what a pity.
   - Simple: Short form of what a pity. Say this to show you feel sorry that something happened.
   - _Pity. The last train left only ten minutes ago._
   - _No tickets left? Pity, the concert sounded wonderful._

## Noun

6. Religious devotion or reverence toward God; piety. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A deep, religious devotion and respect toward God.

## Origin

From Middle English "pitye," borrowed through Anglo-Norman and Old French forms such as "pitié," from Latin "pietas." It shares its origin with the words "pietà" and "piety."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pity (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).