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pitié

Etymology and origin of the French word pitié

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1050, Vie de saint Alexis (pietét)
Inherited from
Latin pietas via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (pius)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pi.tje/[1]

Forms

pitié f (plural pitiés)[1] Old French pietét (1050), pitet (1080), pité.[2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French pitet, inherited from Latin pietās (“dutiful respect towards the gods, parents, country”) from pius (“dutiful, pious”).[3][2][4][5][6][1] Under the Empire the Latin word came to mean the emperor's clemency, then in Christian Latin compassion, kindness, charity, Bloch and Wartburg note a similar use already in Suetonius.[3][2][4] The learned borrowing of the same word is piété, its doublet.[1][5]

Cognate with Italian pietà, Occitan pietat, Spanish piedad and Portuguese piedade.[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050) has pietét for compassion; the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has Cel nen i a qui de pitet ne plurt “there is none who does not weep for pity”.[3][8]

Semantic evolution

Old French also used it for distress or suffering, and for piety.[2][4] Avoir pitié de is in the Roland, faire pitié in Benoît de Sainte-Maure (about 1160), and c'est pitié de in Joinville (1306: grant pitié estoit d'oïr brere les gens).[9][3][2] The sense of compassion mixed with contempt appears in faire pitié (1640), regarder en pitié (Molière, 1666) and quelle pitié ! (1729).[3][2] Par pitié ! (1691, Racine) is used to beg.[9][2]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – Pietét, Vie de saint Alexis.[3]
  • c. 1100 – Pitet, Chanson de Roland.[3]
  • c. 1160 – Faire pitié, Benoît de Sainte-Maure.[9]
  • 1306 – Grant pitié estoit, Joinville.[3]
  • 1666 – Regarder en pitié, Molière.[3]
  • 1691 – Par pitié, Racine.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. pity, compassion: avoir pitié de quelqu'un, faire pitié, inspirer la pitié.[7][1]
  2. mercy: sans pitié, pitié !, par pitié !, for pity's sake![1][9]
  3. Contemptuous pity: regarder quelqu'un en pitié, quelle pitié !, how pathetic![3][2]

Word family

  • pitoyable
  • impitoyable
  • apitoyer
  • pitance
  • piété
  • pieux
  • piteux
  • Latin pietās

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 8, 438b
  7. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Pitié.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/piti%C3%A9. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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