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Where does the word "pathos" come from? It comes from Greek pathos, and was adopted directly into English (1590s).
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Where does the word "pathos" come from? It comes from Greek pathos, and was adopted directly into English (1590s).
Pathos’s story begins in Greek: pathos meant “suffering, feeling.” Suffering, feeling, emotion. It reached English by 1590s as pathos. Aristotle's 'Rhetoric' named pathos, emotional appeal, as one of three means of persuasion. Today, pathos means a quality in speech, writing, or art that evokes pity or sadness.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient pathos "suffering, feeling", suffering, feeling, emotion.
- Stage 2 · English · 1590s pathos "a quality that evokes pity or sadness", Aristotle's 'Rhetoric' named pathos, emotional appeal, as one of three means of persuasion.