sympathy

The story

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromσῠμπᾰ́θειᾰ“fellow feeling”
2. Late Latin · derived fromsympathīa“feeling in common”
3. Middle French · borrowed fromsympathie
4. English todaysympathy

Borrowed from Middle French sympathie, from Late Latin sympathīa (“feeling in common”), from Ancient Greek σῠμπᾰ́θειᾰ (sŭmpắtheiă, “fellow feeling”), from σῠμπᾰθής (sŭmpăthḗs, “affected by like feelings; exerting mutual influence, interacting”) + -ῐᾰ (-ĭă, “-y”, nominal suffix). Equivalent to sym- (“acting or considered together”) + -pathy (“feeling”).

Words from the same roots