piteous

adj

1. Provoking pity, compassion, or sympathy.

   “[…] with his strong arms He fastened on my neck, and bellowed out As he’d burst heaven; threw him on my father; Told the most piteous tale of Lear and him That ever ear receiv’d;”

   “1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, London: T. Payne & Son and T. Cadell, Volume 2, Book 3, Chapter 4, p. 51, […] my strength, madam, is almost all gone away, and when I do any hard work, it’s quite a piteous sight to see me, for I am all in a tremble after it, just as if I had an ague […]”

   “In the deep, still darkness of midnight, I have been often aroused by the dead, heavy footsteps and the piteous cries of the chained gangs that passed our door.”

   ““[…] you go out to beg, first smearing yourself with mud and filth to make yourselves as piteous as you can.””

   “As fear chilled him to the bone, he loosed a final piteous groan.”

2. (obsolete)Showing devotion to God.

   “For the Lord kan delyuere piteuouse men fro temptacioun, and kepe wickid men in to the dai of dom to be turmentid;”

3. (obsolete)Showing compassion.

   “Thine eye begins to speak; set thy tongue there; Or in thy piteous heart plant thou thine ear; That hearing how our plaints and prayers do pierce, Pity may move thee ‘pardon’ to rehearse.”

   “The water Nymphs that in the bottome playd Held up their pearled wrists and tooke her in, Bearing her straite to aged Nereus hall Who piteous of her woes rea[r’]d her lanke head, And gave her to his daughters to imbathe In nectar’d lavers strewd with asphodil,”

   “With that the Goddess (piteous of his case, Yet smiling at his ruful length of face) Gives him a cov’ring,”

   “Or have they soft piteous eyes beheld The weary wanderer thro’ the desert rove? Or does th’ afflicted man thy heavenly bosom move?”

4. (obsolete)Of little importance or value.

   “[…] calling to minde with heed Part of our Sentence, that thy Seed shall bruise The Serpents head; piteous amends, unless Be meant, whom I conjecture, our grand Foe Satan,”

   “[…] my Business was now to try if I could not make Jackets out of the great Watch-Coats which I had by me, and with such other Materials as I had, so I set to Work a Taylering, or rather indeed a Botching, for I made most piteous Work of it.”