Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Demanding or arousing pity: synonym: pathetic.
  • adjective Archaic Pitying; compassionate.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Full of pity or compassion; compassionate; affected by pity.
  • Such as to excite pity or move to compassion; affecting; lamentable; sorrowful; mournful; sad: as, a piteous look; a piteous case.
  • Pitiful; paltry; poor: as, piteous amends. Milton.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective obsolete Pious; devout.
  • adjective Evincing pity, compassion, or sympathy; compassionate; tender.
  • adjective Fitted to excite pity or sympathy; wretched; miserable; lamentable; sad.
  • adjective Paltry; mean; pitiful.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective pitiful; evincing pity, compassion, or sympathy.
  • adjective obsolete pious; devout
  • adjective obsolete compassionate; tender
  • adjective obsolete paltry; mean; pitiful

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective deserving or inciting pity

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French piteus, from Late Latin pietōsus, merciful, from Latin pietās, compassion; see piety.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English pitous, from Old French piteus, pitus,

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