Deserving pity or sympathy because of being in a very sad or unfortunate condition.
From Old French 'piteable,' derived from 'pite' (pity), which came from Latin 'pietas' (dutiful conduct, compassion). The suffix '-able' means 'worthy of' or 'deserving.'
This word appears frequently in Victorian literature to describe both tragic characters and, sometimes snobbishly, poor people—showing how language reflects the attitudes of different time periods.
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