different between lamenting vs pitiful

English

Verb

lamenting

1. present participle of lament

Noun

lamenting (plural lamentings)

1. Lamentation.
   • 1577, Timothy Kendall (translator), “The song of S. Ierome in the deseit” in Flowers of Epigrammes, London: John Shepperd,^[1]

     If gronyngs greate, get grace at God,

     and loude lamentyngs, loue:

     I hope my piteous pearcyng plaintes,

     shall God to mercie moue.

   • c. 1605, William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act II, Scene 3,^[2]

     The night has been unruly: where we lay,

     Our chimneys were blown down; and, as they say,

     Lamentings heard i’ th’ air, strange screams of death […]

   • 1774, Thomas Hull, Henry the Second: or, the Fall of Rosamund, London: John Bell, Act IV, p. 48,^[3]

     Lose not the Moments

     In vain Lamentings o’er Mischances past:

     One Project foil’d, another should be try’d,

Anagrams

• alignment, gintleman, manteling

English

Alternative forms

• pitifull (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English pityful, piteful, piteeful, equivalent to pity +? -ful.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p?t.?.fl?/

Adjective

pitiful (comparative pitifuller, superlative pitifullest)

1. (now rare) Feeling pity; merciful.
   • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick:

     Straightway, he now goes on to make a full confession; whereupon the mariners became more and more appalled, but still are pitiful.

2. So appalling or sad that one feels or should feel sorry for it; eliciting pity.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:lamentable

3. Of an amount or number: very small.

Related terms

• pitiable
• pity

Translations

Adverb

pitiful (comparative more pitiful, superlative most pitiful)

1. (colloquial, dialect) In a pitiful manner; pitifully; piteously; pathetically.

Translations