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pietà

pity, compassion

noun pyeh-TAH Rare
Mind & Emotions Emotions

Origin: From Latin pietas (piety, devotion, duty), the same root as English 'piety.'

Usage Note

Pietà is invariable (ends in accented à, so its plural is also pietà). It carries both the religious sense ('piety, devotion') and the emotional sense of 'pity, compassion': fare pietà can mean 'to arouse pity' or, colloquially, 'to be awful/pathetic' (quella recitazione fa pietà = 'that acting is terrible'). Michelangelo's sculpture La Pietà uses the devotional sense.

Examples

"Ha guardato il mendicante con pietà."

Natural Translation

She looked at the beggar with pity.

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