sympathetic English · revision 39449

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1644|origins=grc συμπαθής}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la-new|sympathēticus]],^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)^(Klein 1966)^(Dictionary.com 2016) from [[grc|συμπαθητικός|tr=sumpathētikós|t=having sympathy]],^(Etymonline)^(Klein 1966)^(OED 2026) from [[m|grc|συμπαθής|tr=sumpathḗs|t=affected by like feelings]], the source of [[sympathy]].^(Etymonline)^(Klein 1966) The OED derives the Greek word from the verb [[m|grc|συμπαθέω|tr=sumpathéō]], formed after [[m|grc|παθητικός|tr=pathētikós]], the source of [[pathetic]];^(OED 2026) the Shorter Oxford and the Oxford Dictionary of English treat ''sympathetic'' as an English formation from ''sympathy'' on the pattern of ''pathetic''.^(SOED 2002)^(ODE 2010) In the anatomical sense it continues [[la-new|nervus sympathicus]], a term coined by the anatomist Jacques-Bénigne Winslow.^(Klein 1966)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Relating to "sympathy" in the old sense, an affinity or hidden influence between things, especially as a means of healing: 1640s according to Etymonline, 1644 according to Merriam-Webster; the OED's first example is from Glanvill in 1661.^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The earliest uses belong to the idea of occult correspondences, as in ''sympathetic magic''.^(OED 2026)^(ODE 2010) From 1684 the adjective was used of what expresses fellow-feeling, and in Prior (a1718) of people who share the feelings of others, the main modern sense.^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline) Physiology used it from 1728 for a disorder induced in one part of the body by another, and anatomy from 1771 (Etymonline: 1769) for the sympathetic nervous system.^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline) From 1721 ''sympathetic ink'' was invisible ink; physics used it from 1832 of vibrations set up in one body by another.^(OED 2026) Under the influence of [[fr|sympathique]] it came to mean pleasant or likeable (1900, in Beerbohm), and 19th- and 20th-century English also borrowed the French, pseudo-German, Spanish and Italian forms of the word.^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline) The noun, a sympathetic nerve, dates from 1808, and a person susceptible to hypnosis from 1888.^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1644 – relating to sympathy as an occult affinity.^(MWU 2024)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1661 – the OED's first example of this sense.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1684 – expressing fellow-feeling.^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)

+ * a1718 – feeling sympathy for others, compassionate.^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1721 – ''sympathetic ink'', invisible ink.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1771 – of the sympathetic nervous system.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1808 – noun, a sympathetic nerve.^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1832 – of vibrations induced by another body.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1900 – likeable, pleasant.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Feeling, showing or expressing [[sympathy]] or understanding for others; [[compassionate]]: ''a sympathetic nurse''.^(Collins 2023)^(OED 2026)

+ # In agreement with or in favour of something, often followed by ''to'': ''The council was sympathetic to the residents' request.''^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # Suited to one's mood or temperament; [[congenial]]; of a character, likeable.^(Collins 2023)^(OED 2026)

+ # (anatomy, physiology) Relating to the [[sympathetic nervous system]].^(Collins 2023)^(OED 2026)

+ # (physics, music) Produced by vibrations passed from another body: ''sympathetic strings''.^(OED 2026)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Relating to an assumed affinity or influence between separate things, as in ''sympathetic magic''.^(MWU 2024)^(OED 2026)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # (anatomy) A sympathetic nerve or the sympathetic nervous system.^(MWU 2024)^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[sympathetically]]

+ * [[nonsympathetic]]

+ * [[unsympathetic]]

+ * [[parasympathetic]]

+ * [[sympathetic nervous system]]

+ * [[sympathetic magic]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[sympathy]]

+ * [[sympathize]]

+ * [[pathetic]]

+ * [[empathy]]

+ * [[pathos]]

+ * [[apathy]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}