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Dictionary / compassion

compassion

/kəmˈpæʃ.ən/ (UK, US)
  • noun
  • verb
  • from Old French

Deep awareness of the suffering of others that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such states.

▶ Play the mastery game

1 All current definitions

Every sense of “compassion” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.

noun

  1. uncountableusuallyDeep awareness of the suffering of others that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such states.

    Oh! the unspeakable privilege to have Him for our Father, who is the Father of mercies and compassions, and those not barren, fruitless pityings, for He is withal the God of all consolations.1849, Robert Leighton (Archbishop of Glasgow), A practical commentary upon the first Epistle of St. Peter (page 47)

  2. broadlyuncountableusuallyDeep awareness of the individual experiences of suffering of others or themselves that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such experiences, as reflected by the psychological term self-compassion.

    True leadership lies in compassion, not in coercion.

Wiktionary: “compassion” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

verb

No current senses for this part of speech — see older senses.

Older & obsolete senses (1)
  1. obsoleteTo pity.
Wiktionary: “compassion” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross-check: WordNet senses (2)
  1. nouna deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering — also: compassionateness
  2. nounthe humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it — also: pity
Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License

Synonyms: empathy, mercy, ruth, pity, sorrow, tenderheartedness, kindness, heart, bowels, commiseration, compassion, fellow feeling

Antonyms: compassionlessness, pitilessness, ruthlessness, uncompassion, unpity

Wiktionary: “compassion” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

2 History of the word

The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)compassion
  2. Middle Englishcompassioun
  3. Old Frenchcompassion
  4. Ecclesiastical Latincompassio “sympathy”
  5. Latincompati
  6. Latincom- “together” + pati “to suffer”

From Middle English compassioun, compassion, from Old French compassion, from Ecclesiastical Latin compassio (“sympathy”), from Latin compati, past participle compassus (“to suffer together with”), from com- (“together”) + pati (“to suffer”); see passion. By surface analysis, com- + passion.

Wiktionary: “compassion” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Derivatives — words built from “compassion”

compassionablecompassionatecompassionfulcompassionlessincompassionself-compassionuncompassionuncompassioned

Phrases & compounds

compassion fatigue

Related terms

compatiblepassionwhat a pity
Wiktionary: “compassion” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Want to go deeper? See also “compassion” on Etymonline ↗

3 Original language

Where “compassion” came from before it was English.

Came into English from
Old French
Old French compassion
Oldest written form
Latin
Latin com- + pati
Wiktionary: “compassion” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

4 Original meaning

What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.

Ecclesiastical Latin
“sympathy”
Ecclesiastical Latin compassio
Built from
com- “together” + pati “to suffer”
Wiktionary: “compassion” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913

A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.

compassion n. [F., fr. L. compassio, fr. compati to have compassion; com- + pati to bear, suffer. See Patient.]

  1. Literally, suffering with another; a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity; commiseration.

compassion v. t.

  1. To pity.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), public domain, via GCIDE

5 Use it with confidence

Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.

nounMeaning: Deep awareness of the suffering of others that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such states.

Oh! the unspeakable privilege to have Him for our Father, who is the Father of mercies and compassions, and those not barren, fruitless pityings, for He is withal the God of all consolations.1849, Robert Leighton (Archbishop of Glasgow), A practical commentary upon the first Epistle of St. Peter (page 47)

Other people's problems, they overwhelm my mind / They say compassion is a virtue, but I don't have the time1977, David Byrne, “No Compassion”, in Talking Heads: 77, performed by Talking Heads:

nounMeaning: Deep awareness of the individual experiences of suffering of others or themselves that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such experiences, as reflected by the psychological term self-compassion.

True leadership lies in compassion, not in coercion.

Similarly to the practice of loving kindness, meditation on compassion towards our own experience builds the foundation for expansion of the circle of compassion towards others.2013, Dusana Dorjee, Mind, Brain and the Path to Happiness — A Guide to Buddhist Mind Training and the Neuroscience of Meditation, page 75:

Wiktionary: “compassion” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Three steps to owning it

  1. Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
  2. Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
  3. Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?

6 The mastery game

Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.

Step 1 of 9

Say it, then spell it

compassion

/kəmˈpæʃ.ən/

Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.

Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________

compassion

/kəmˈpæʃ.ən/ · noun, verb

Step 1 — Say it and write it

Say “compassion” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.

Step 2 — Know every meaning

Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.

1. (noun) Deep awareness of the suffering of others that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such states.
2. (noun) Deep awareness of the individual experiences of suffering of others or themselves that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such experiences, as reflected by the psychological term self-compassion.

Step 3 — Which meaning is it?

“Oh! the unspeakable privilege to have Him for our Father, who is the Father of mercies and compassions, and those not barren, fruitless pityings, for He is withal the God of all consolations.”

A. Deep awareness of the suffering of others that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such states.
B. Deep awareness of the individual experiences of suffering of others or themselves that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such experiences, as reflected by the psychological term self-compassion.

Circle the meaning used.

“True leadership lies in compassion, not in coercion.”

A. Deep awareness of the individual experiences of suffering of others or themselves that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such experiences, as reflected by the psychological term self-compassion.
B. Deep awareness of the suffering of others that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such states.

Circle the meaning used.

Step 4 — History and origin

Which language did “compassion” come into English from?   A. Old French  B. New Latin  C. Ancient Greek  D. Medieval Latin

Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):

Write three words built from “compassion” and what each means:

Step 5 — Original meaning

The earliest traceable form is Ecclesiastical Latin compassio. What did it mean?

How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?

Step 6 — Use it yourself

Write a sentence using “compassion” to mean: Deep awareness of the suffering of others that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such states.
Write a sentence using “compassion” to mean: Deep awareness of the individual experiences of suffering of others or themselves that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such experiences, as reflected by the psychological term self-compassion.

☐ I can explain its meanings   ☐ I know its history   ☐ I know its original language   ☐ I know its original meaning   ☐ I can use it confidently

Answer key — compassion

Which meaning, sentence 1: A. Deep awareness of the suffering of others that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such states.

Which meaning, sentence 2: A. Deep awareness of the individual experiences of suffering of others or themselves that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such experiences, as reflected by the psychological term self-compassion.

Origin: A. Old French (Old French compassion)

Journey: English compassion ← Middle English compassioun ← Old French compassion ← Ecclesiastical Latin compassio ← Latin compati ← Latin com- + pati

Some derivatives: compassionable, compassionate, compassionful, compassionless, incompassion, self-compassion, uncompassion, uncompassioned

Original meaning: Ecclesiastical Latin compassio — “sympathy”

Built from: com- “together” + pati “to suffer”

Etymology: From Middle English compassioun, compassion, from Old French compassion, from Ecclesiastical Latin compassio (“sympathy”), from Latin compati, past participle compassus (“to suffer together with”), from com- (“together”) + pati (“to suffer”); see passion. By surface analysis, com- + passion.

Sources: Wiktionary “compassion” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/compassion#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/compassion