A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1400, 1500-1599
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Piteous, -i(o)us, a. Also: pitt-, pict- and -iouse, -eouse, -ieous, -yous, -eus. [e.m.E. and ME. piteus (1340), -eous (c 1400), pyteous, -yows, -eo(u)se (15th c.), pittious (16th c.), f. as pitous Pitous a., appar. conformed to pity Pité n. Cf. Peteo(u)s a., Pieti(o)us a.] Piteous, in the usual senses.
1. Deserving, or appealing for, pity; mournful. = Petuo(u)s a. 1. c1400 Troy-bk. i. 544.
The spyrit yhald with piteous voice 1535 Stewart 55319.
Makand ane pitieous mane 1549 Complaynte of Scotland 93/32.
Pitteus 1569 Cal. Sc. P. III. 10.
Pictyous 1570 Satirical Poems xi. 21.
My hauie hap and piteous plicht c1590 J. Stewart 66/42.
As quhan ane troup of porcks … quhryns vith pitius bruit and beir — 15.. Clariodus v. 2746.
The depairting pitiouse was … Betwix him and his eame 15.. Ib. i. 8.
Pitious
2. Of persons: Full of pity; merciful, compassionate. Also transf. = Petuo(u)s a. 2. 15.. Clariodus v. 1484.
Ladies in heart beine pitious ever maire — a1585 Maitland Quarto MS xcv. 14.
Luik with thy piteous eine throuch all this land
3. Full of piety; godly, dutiful. c1520-c1535 Nisbet 2 Peter ii. 9.
The Lord can deliuer piteouse [Purvey piteuouse; L. pius] men fra temptatioun 1513 Doug. i. ix. 42 (Ruddim.) (see Petuo(u)s a. 3).
Piteous
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"Piteous adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 10 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/piteous>
