different between piteous vs pitying

English

Etymology

From Middle English pitous, from Old French piteus, pitus.

Pronunciation

Adjective

piteous (comparative more piteous, superlative most piteous)

1. Provoking pity, compassion, or sympathy.

   Synonyms: heartbreaking, heartrending, lamentable, pathetic, pitiful

   • c. 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act V, Scene 3,^[1]

     […] 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;

   • 1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, London: T. Payne & Son and T. Cadell, Volume 2, Book 3, Chapter 4, p. 51,^[2]

     […] 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 […]

   • 1931, Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth, New York: Modern Library, 1944, Chapter 11, pp. 80-81,^[3]

     “ […] you go out to beg, first smearing yourself with mud and filth to make yourselves as piteous as you can.”

2. (obsolete) Showing devotion to God.

   Synonyms: devout, pious

   • c. 1390s, John Wycliffe (translator), Wycliffe’s Bible, 2 Peter 2.9,^[4]

     For the Lord kan delyuere piteuouse men fro temptacioun, and kepe wickid men in to the dai of dom to be turmentid;

3. (obsolete) Showing compassion.

   Synonyms: compassionate, tender

   • c. 1595, William Shakespeare, Richard II, Act V, Scene 3,^[5]

     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.

   • 1634, John Milton, Comus, London: Humphrey Robinson, 1637, p. 29,^[6]

     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,

   • 1728, Alexander Pope, The Dunciad, London: A. Dodd, Book 2, p. 21,^[7]

     With that the Goddess (piteous of his case,

     Yet smiling at his ruful length of face)

     Gives him a cov’ring,

   • 1783, William Blake, “An Imitation of Spenser” in Poetical Sketches, London: Basil Montagu Pickering, 1868, p. 37,^[8]

     Or have they soft piteous eyes beheld

     The weary wanderer thro’ the desert rove?

     Or does th’ afflicted man thy heavenly bosom move?

4. (obsolete) Of little importance or value.

   Synonyms: miserable, paltry, pathetic, mean, pitiful

   • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book 9, lines 1030-1034,^[9]

     […] 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,

   • 1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe, London: W. Taylor, pp. 158-159,^[10]

     […] 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.

Related terms

• dispiteous
• impiteous
• piteously
• pitiable
• pitiful
• pitisome

Translations

Anagrams

• poustie

English

Verb

pitying

1. present participle of pity

Noun

pitying (plural pityings)

1. The act of one who pities.
   • 1849, Robert Leighton (Archbishop of Glasgow), A practical commentary upon the first Epistle of St. Peter (page 47)

     Oh! the unspeakable privilege to have Him for our Father, who is the Father of mercies and compassions, and those not barren, fruitless pityings, for He is withal the God of all consolations.