Wordwyrt

commiseration

Meaningpity

Common meaning: expression of sympathy for someone's misfortune

‘with, together’ + ‘wretched, pitiable’ → commiseration

Journey through time

  • com — Latin com- “with, together; thoroughly” (path traced)
  • miseration — Latin miser “wretched, pitiable” (path traced)

Parts join in Latin as commiserationem.

  1. Latincom- + miserari‘with, together; thoroughly + wretched, pitiable’source
  2. Latincommiserationem‘pity’source
  3. Frenchcommisération‘pity’source
  4. Englishmeaning shiftspity → expression of sympathy for someone's misfortunecommiseration‘expression of sympathy for someone's misfortune’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.
  • US IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.

Origin: Built on Latin commiserationem, which Skeat analyses as com- ‘with, together; thoroughly’ + miserari ‘wretched, pitiable’.

Roots

Related words

commiseratemisermiserablemisery

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