compassion Look up compassion at Dictionary.com
1340, from O.Fr. compassion, from L.L. compassionem (nom. compassio) "sympathy," from compassus, pp. of compati "to feel pity," from com- "together" + pati "to suffer" (see passion). Loan-translation of Gk. sympatheia.
compassionate (adj.) Look up compassionate at Dictionary.com
1580s, from compassion. Phrase compassionate conservatism in American political language first recorded by 1992, popularized, if not coined, by Marvin Olasky, University of Texas at Austin instructor.
bowel Look up bowel at Dictionary.com
c.1300, from O.Fr. bouele, from M.L. botellus "small intestine," originally "sausage," dim. of botulus "sausage," a word borrowed from Oscan-Umbrian, from PIE *gwet-/*geut- (cf. L. guttur "throat," O.E. cwiš, Goth. qižus "belly, womb," Ger. kutteln "guts, chitterlings"). Gk. splankhnon (from the same PIE base as spleen) was a word for the principal internal organs, felt as the seat of various emotions. It was later used in Septuagint to translate a Heb. word, and then in early Bibles rendered in Eng. in its literal sense as bowels, which thus acquired a secondary meaning of "pity, compassion" (1382). But in later editions often translated as heart. Gk. poets, from Aeschylus down, regarded the bowels as the seat of the more violent passions such as anger and love, but by the Hebrews they were seen as the seat of tender affections, especially kindness, benevolence, and compassion. Bowel movement is attested by 1874.
piteous Look up piteous at Dictionary.com
c.1300, from Anglo-Fr. pitous, O.Fr. pitos (12c.), from M.L. pietosus "merciful, pitiful," in V.L. "dutiful," from L. pietas "dutiful conduct, compassion" (see piety).
ruthless Look up ruthless at Dictionary.com
early 14c., from reuthe "pity, compassion" (late 12c.), formed from reuwen "to rue" (see rue (v.)) on the model of true/truth, etc. Ruthful (early 13c.) has fallen from use since late 17c. except as a deliberate archaism.
compatible Look up compatible at Dictionary.com
1459, from M.Fr. compatible, from M.L. compatibilis, from L.L. compati (see compassion).
feel (v.) Look up feel at Dictionary.com
O.E. felan "to touch," from Gmc. *folijanan (cf. Du. voelen, Ger. fühlen "to feel," O.N. falma "to grope"), from PIE base *(s)pol-/*(s)pal- "to strike softly" (cf. Gk. psallein "to pluck (the harp)," L. palpare "to touch softly, stroke," palpitare "to move quickly"). The sense in O.E. was "to perceive through senses which are not referred to any special organ." Sense of "be conscious of a sensation or emotion" developed by late 13c.; that of "to have sympathy or compassion" is from c.1600. Noun sense of "sexual grope" is from 1932; from verbal phrase to feel (someone) up (1930).
mercy Look up mercy at Dictionary.com
late 12c., "God's forgiveness of his creatures' offenses," from O.Fr. mercit, merci "reward, gift, kindness," from L. mercedem (nom. merces) "reward, wages, hire" (in V.L. "favor, pity"), from merx (gen. mercis) "wares, merchandise." In Church L. (6c.) applied to the heavenly reward of those who show kindness to the helpless. Meaning "disposition to forgive or show compassion" is attested from early 13c. As an interjection, attested from mid-13c. In French largely superseded by miséricorde except as a word of thanks. Seat of mercy "golden covering of the Ark of the Covenant" (1530) is Tyndale's loan-translation of Luther's gnadenstuhl, an inexact rendering of Heb. kapporeth, lit. "propitiatory."