Etymology Map
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Pity

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means sorrow and compassion caused by others' suffering

Where does the word "pity" come from? It comes from Latin pietas, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
pietas
Latin · classical
"dutifulness"
dutiful devotion to gods, country and family; Virgil's hero is 'pius Aeneas'
2
Stage 2 of 3
pitié
Old French · 1100s
"compassion"
narrowed to compassion; the same Latin word, borrowed again, gave 'piety', and Italian gave the Pietà
3
Stage 3 of 3
pity
English · 1200s
"sorrow for another's suffering"
Shakespeare's Othello (c. 1603) gives the word its most famous line: 'But yet the pity of it, Iago! O Iago, the pity of it, Iago!'
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Pity’s story begins in Latin: pietas meant “dutifulness.” Dutiful devotion to gods, country and family; Virgil's hero is 'pius Aeneas'. By 1100s, the word had taken hold in Old French as pitié. Narrowed to compassion; the same Latin word, borrowed again, gave 'piety', and Italian gave the Pietà. It reached English by 1200s as pity. Shakespeare's Othello (c. 1603) gives the word its most famous line: 'But yet the pity of it, Iago! O Iago, the pity of it, Iago!'. Today, pity means sorrow and compassion caused by others' suffering.