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Added 9 October 2026

compassion

/kəmˈpæʃ.ən/ noun

In Latin: misericordia Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about compassion at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering.
The humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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