Pietas

[ pahy-i-tas ]

/ ˈpaɪ ɪˌtæs /

noun

the ancient Roman personification of familial affection, patriotism, and piety.

Definition for pietas (2 of 2)

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 pietas

Blending with this notion of 'pietas,' we find the Platonic repudiation of sensuous and material life.
The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth, Vol. VI (of 8)|William Wordsworth
This pietas Tewkesburiensis still survives, as flowers are annually laid upon the site of the grave.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Abbey Church of Tewkesbury|H. J. L. J. Mass
See the following extract from the colloquy of Erasmus, Pietas puerilis, edition Argent.
The Oxford Reformers|Frederic Seebohm
Pietas is Virgil's word for religion, as it had been Cicero's in his more exalted moments.
The Religious Experience of the Roman People|W. Warde Fowler

Pietas has the religious note which the other words lack, loving dutifulness to gods and home and country.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 8|Various

British Dictionary definitions for pietas

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 pietas

Pieta

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

Culture definitions for pietas

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.