Pities

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Pity \Pit"y\, n.; pl. {Pities}. [OE. pite, OF. pit['e],
     piti['e], F. piti['e], L. pietas piety, kindness, pity. See
     {Pious}, and cf. {Piety}.]
     1. Piety. [Obs.] --Wyclif.
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     2. A feeling for the sufferings or distresses of another or
        others; sympathy with the grief or misery of another;
        compassion; fellow-feeling; commiseration.
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              He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the
              Lord.                                 --Prov. xix.
                                                    17.
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              He . . . has no more pity in him than a dog. --Shak.
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     3. A reason or cause of pity, grief, or regret; a thing to be
        regretted. "The more the pity." --Shak.
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              What pity is it
              That we can die but once to serve our country!
                                                    --Addison.
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     Note: In this sense, sometimes used in the plural, especially
           in the colloquialism: "It is a thousand pities."
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     Syn: Compassion; mercy; commiseration; condolence; sympathy,
          fellow-suffering; fellow-feeling. -- {Pity}, {Sympathy},
          {Compassion}. Sympathy is literally fellow-feeling, and
          therefore requiers a certain degree of equality in
          situation, circumstances, etc., to its fullest exercise.
          Compassion is deep tenderness for another under severe
          or inevitable misfortune. Pity regards its object not
          only as suffering, but weak, and hence as inferior.
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