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  • Pietà
    Pietà
    noun
    a representation of the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of the dead Christ, usually shown held on her lap.
  • pietà
    pietà
    noun
    a sculpture, painting, or drawing of the dead Christ, supported by the Virgin Mary

Pietà

American  
[pee-ey-tah, pyey-tah, pee-ey-tuh, pyey-] / ˌpi eɪˈtɑ, pyeɪˈtɑ, piˈeɪ tə, ˈpyeɪ- /

noun

(sometimes lowercase)
  1. a representation of the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of the dead Christ, usually shown held on her lap.


pietà British  
/ pɪɛˈtɑː /

noun

  1. a sculpture, painting, or drawing of the dead Christ, supported by the Virgin Mary

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Pietà Cultural  
  1. A painting, drawing, or sculpture of Mary, the mother of Jesus, holding the dead body of Jesus. The word means “pity” in Italian.


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The most famous of four Pietàs by Michelangelo is a sculpture at Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

Etymology

Origin of Pietà

1635–45; < Italian: literally, pity < Latin pietās piety; cf. pity

Vocabulary lists containing pieta

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In conjunction with the pavilion, the Conservancy and Mr. Puryear will work with underserved youth through Studio in a School in New York and Istituto Santa Maria Della Pietà in Venice.

From New York Times • Aug. 15, 2018

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