French Conversation · Level 49
75 words
French word
pitié
Pronunciation
IPA/pitje/
Meaning
- feminine nounpity
Example
Aie pitié de moi.
Take pity on me.
More examples
Il a montré peu de pitié envers les animaux.
He showed little pity toward the animals.
Core concept
A heart turns toward a suffering person and feels moved to spare or help them.
Common phrases
avoir pitié de
have pity on
par pitié
for pity's sake
Similar words
compassion: A deep feeling of concern for someone in distress and a desire to stand by them.
empathie: Understanding another person's feelings and perspective by sensing them as one's own.
sympathie: A warm feeling of liking or goodwill toward another person.
Definition in French
Émotion qui pousse à compatir envers quelqu'un éprouvant douleur, détresse ou misère.
Word origin
Pitié comes through Old French from Latin pietas, whose earlier senses included dutiful respect and religious devotion before the French word developed its sense of compassion.
Usage tips
- The usual construction is avoir pitié de quelqu'un, as in Aie pitié de moi, rather than avoir pitié pour quelqu'un.
Other meanings
- sympathynoun
Opposites
- cruautécrueltynoun
- indifférenceindifferencenoun
Related words
- pitoyablepitifuladjective
- pitoyablementpitifullyadverb