pathos
[ pey-thos, -thohs, -thaws ]
/ ˈpeɪ θɒs, -θoʊs, -θɔs /
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noun
the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, music, speech, or other forms of expression, of evoking a feeling of pity, or of sympathetic and kindly sorrow or compassion.
pity.
Obsolete. suffering.
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Origin of pathos
First recorded in 1570–80; from Greek páthos “suffering, sensation, experience,” akin to páschein “to suffer, feel, be affected”; cf. pathetic
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pathos
bathos, pathosWords nearby pathos
pathologize, pathology, pathomimesis, pathomorphism, pathophysiology, pathos, pathosis, pathway, -pathy, Patiala, patience
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for pathos
British Dictionary definitions for pathos
pathos
/ (ˈpeɪθɒs) /
noun
the quality or power, esp in literature or speech, of arousing feelings of pity, sorrow, etc
a feeling of sympathy or pitya stab of pathos
Word Origin for pathos
C17: from Greek: suffering; related to penthos sorrow
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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