piteous
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: more piteous
form: most piteous
Etymology: From Middle English pitous, from Old French piteus, pitus.
Senses: examples: text: […] with his strong arms
He fastened on my neck, and bellowed out
As he’d burst heaven; threw him on my father;
Told the most piteous tale of Lear and him
That ever ear receiv’d;
ref: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:
text: 1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, London: T. Payne & Son and T. Cadell, Volume 2, Book 3, Chapter 4, p. 51,
[…] my strength, madam, is almost all gone away, and when I do any hard work, it’s quite a piteous sight to see me, for I am all in a tremble after it, just as if I had an ague […]
text: In the deep, still darkness of midnight, I have been often aroused by the dead, heavy footsteps and the piteous cries of the chained gangs that passed our door.
ref: 1855, Frederick Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom. […], New York; Auburn, N.Y.: Miller, Orton & Mulligan […], →OCLC:
text: “[…] you go out to beg, first smearing yourself with mud and filth to make yourselves as piteous as you can.”
ref: 1931, Pearl S. Buck, chapter 11, in The Good Earth, New York: Modern Library, published 1944, pages 80–81:
text: As fear chilled him to the bone, he loosed a final piteous groan.
ref: 2011, Felix Hagan, “Vengeance On My Mind”, in Dawn Breaks, the Monster Wakes...:
synonyms: heartbreaking
heartrending
lamentable
pathetic
pitiful
glosses: Provoking pity, compassion, or sympathy.
examples: text: For the Lord kan delyuere piteuouse men fro temptacioun, and kepe wickid men in to the dai of dom to be turmentid;
ref: c. 1382–1395, John Wycliffe [et al.], edited by Josiah Forshall and Frederic Madden, The Holy Bible, […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II, III, or IV), Oxford: At the University Press, published 1850, →OCLC, II. Peter 2:9:
synonyms: devout
pious
glosses: Showing devotion to God.
examples: text: Thine eye begins to speak; set thy tongue there;
Or in thy piteous heart plant thou thine ear;
That hearing how our plaints and prayers do pierce,
Pity may move thee ‘pardon’ to rehearse.
ref: 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene 3]:
text: The water Nymphs that in the bottome playd
Held up their pearled wrists and tooke her in,
Bearing her straite to aged Nereus hall
Who piteous of her woes rea[r’]d her lanke head,
And gave her to his daughters to imbathe
In nectar’d lavers strewd with asphodil,
ref: 1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC, page 29:
english: Comus
translation: Comus
text: With that the Goddess (piteous of his case,
Yet smiling at his ruful length of face)
Gives him a cov’ring,
ref: 1728, [Alexander Pope], “Book the Second”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin; London: […] A. Dodd, →OCLC, page 21:
text: Or have they soft piteous eyes beheld
The weary wanderer thro’ the desert rove?
Or does th’ afflicted man thy heavenly bosom move?
ref: 1783, William Blake, “An Imitation of Spenser”, in Poetical Sketches, London: Basil Montagu Pickering, published 1868, page 37:
synonyms: compassionate
tender
glosses: Showing compassion.
examples: text: […] calling to minde with heed
Part of our Sentence, that thy Seed shall bruise
The Serpents head; piteous amends, unless
Be meant, whom I conjecture, our grand Foe
Satan,
ref: 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 1030-1034:
text: […] my Business was now to try if I could not make Jackets out of the great Watch-Coats which I had by me, and with such other Materials as I had, so I set to Work a Taylering, or rather indeed a Botching, for I made most piteous Work of it.
ref: 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, pages 158-159:
synonyms: miserable
paltry
pathetic
mean
pitiful
glosses: Of little importance or value.
Derived terms: piteousness
unpiteous
Related terms: dispiteous
impiteous
piteously
pitiable
pitiful
pitisome