Pietà

[ pee-ey-tah, pyey-tah, pee-ey-tuh, pyey- ]

/ ˌpi eɪˈtɑ, pyeɪˈtɑ, piˈeɪ tə, ˈpyeɪ- /

noun (sometimes lowercase) Fine Arts.

a representation of the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of the dead Christ, usually shown held on her lap.

Origin of Pietà

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pieta

Her new single, “Pieta,” is something you can worship and blaspheme at the same time.
Is Bigger Better for St. Vincent?|David Yaffe|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A "Pieta" by Michael Angelo and a few statues seem like spectres; the bas-reliefs are only vague confusion.
Seeing Europe with Famous Authors, Volume 7|Various
In one chapel the Pieta of Michael Angelo, a marble group, and a masterpiece of his, is placed.
Curiosities of Christian History|Croake James
Aida closes the scene with the same prayer to Heaven "Pieta!"
Stars of the Opera|Mabel Wagnalls

Langler said hardly anything, and only once spoke to Herr Tschudi, when he called out: "Is this pieta ancient?"
The Last Miracle|M. P. Shiel
We might, perhaps, have recognized it in the Pieta in St. Peter's.
Emerson and Other Essays|John Jay Chapman

British Dictionary definitions for pieta

pietà

/ (pɪɛˈtɑː) /

noun

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

Word Origin for pietà

Italian: pity, from Latin pietās piety

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

Word Origin and History for pieta

Pieta

"Virgin holding the dead body of Christ," 1640s, from Italian pieta, from Latin pietatem (see piety).

Culture definitions for pieta

Pietà

[ (pyay-tah; pee-ay-tah) ]

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

Note

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