- pitiable
- pitiable (adj.) mid-15c., from O.Fr. piteable (13c.; Mod.Fr. pitoyable), from piteer "to pity" (see PITY (Cf. pity)).
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
pitiable
Look at other dictionaries:
Pitiable — Pit i*a*ble, a. [Cf. OF. pitiable, F. pitoyable.] Deserving pity; wworthy of, or exciting, compassion; miserable; lamentable; piteous; as, pitiable persons; a pitiable condition; pitiable wretchedness. [1913 Webster] Syn: Sorrowful; woeful; sad.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
pitiable — index deplorable, lamentable Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
pitiable — 1 piteous, *pitiful Analogous words: sad, depressed, dejected, melancholy (see corresponding nouns at SADNESS): forlorn, hopeless, despairing, desperate, *despondent 2 despicable, *contemptible, sorry, scurvy, cheap, beggarly, shabby Analogous… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
pitiable — ► ADJECTIVE 1) deserving or arousing pity. 2) contemptibly poor or small. DERIVATIVES pitiably adverb … English terms dictionary
pitiable — [pit′ē ə bəl] adj. [ME piteable < MFr < pitier: see PITY] arousing or deserving pity, sometimes mixed with scorn or contempt SYN. PITIFUL pitiableness n. pitiably adv … English World dictionary
pitiable — piteous, pitiable, pitiful All three words are recorded from Middle English and share the basic meaning ‘arousing pity’ and are to some extent interchangeable (as in The abandoned children were a piteous sight), although pitiful is the most… … Modern English usage
pitiable — adjective Date: 15th century 1. deserving or exciting pity ; lamentable < pitiable victims > 2. of a kind to evoke mingled pity and contempt especially because of inadequacy < a pitiable excuse > Synonyms: see contemptible • pitiableness noun • … New Collegiate Dictionary
pitiable — pitiableness, n. pitiably, adv. /pit ee euh beuhl/, adj. 1. evoking or deserving pity; lamentable: pitiable, homeless children. 2. evoking or deserving contemptuous pity; miserable; contemptible: a pitiable lack of character. [1425 75; late ME … Universalium
pitiable — [[t]pɪ̱tiəb(ə)l[/t]] ADJ GRADED Someone who is pitiable is in such a sad or weak state that you feel pity for them. [WRITTEN] Her grandmother seemed to her a pitiable figure. Syn: pitiful Derived words: pitiably [[t]pɪ̱tiəbli[/t]] ADV GRADED ADV… … English dictionary
pitiable — See pitiable, piteous … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
