α. Middle English pites, Middle English pitos, Middle English pitouse, Middle English pitows, Middle English pitus, Middle English pituse, Middle English pitws, Middle English pytes, Middle English pytos, Middle English pytous, Middle English pytouse, Middle English–1600s (1900s– poetic) pitous; English regional (chiefly south-western and southern) 1800s pithest (Devon), 1800s pitis, 1800s– pitice, 1800s– pitous, 1800s– pittice, 1800s– pittis, 1800s– pittus, 1900s– pittish (Devon); Scottish pre-1700 pitous, pre-1700 pitouse, pre-1700 pittows, pre-1700 putus, pre-1700 pytis. c1300 [implied in: St. Edmund Rich (Harl.) 251 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 500 So pitousliche he wolde rede & so gode grace hadde þerto Þat his scolers..ofte hudde here eȝe & wepte. (at piteously adv. 1)].c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 10087 He deide in a pitous cas.a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1180 William þe ȝong Kniȝt was so neiȝh be-side, þat he herd þe pytous pleint þat þemperour made.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 24014 Ful pitus it was þat plaint.1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) ii. l. 161 The playne compleynt, the pittows wementyng.?1528 La Conusaunce Damours sig. b iv Your pitous deth maketh myn hert wo.1654 M. Stevenson Occasions Off-spring 17 Say mother pitous, doe you not For Oatmeal? rob the Porrige-pot.a1794 M. Palmer Dialogue Devonshire Dial. (1837) 15 The leet windle ne'er blubbereth or weeneth, but look'th pithest and sif'th.1825 J. Jennings Observ. Dial. W. Eng. 59 Pitis, piteous.1909 Devonshire Verbal Provincialisms 129 I enquired one day how that half-starved mumper looked that came to the door, when she replied ‘very pittish, sir.’1929 R. Bridges Test. Beauty ii, in Poet. Wks. (1936) 225 The ground-root folly of this pitous philanthropy.
β. Middle English piteuose, Middle English piteuous, Middle English piteuouse, Middle English pitevous, Middle English pitevows, Middle English pitiuous, Middle English pitovous, Middle English pitteuous, Middle English pituos, Middle English pituus, Middle English pityuous, Middle English pyteuous, Middle English pytevous, Middle English pytewouse (in a late copy), Middle English pytewus, Middle English pytewys, Middle English pytiuos, Middle English pytuose, Middle English pytywos, Middle English–1500s pituouse, Middle English–1500s pytuos, Middle English–1700s pituous, 1500s pituose, 1500s pytuous, 1500s pytuouse; Scottish pre-1700 piteuouse, pre-1700 pituis, pre-1700 pituous, pre-1700 pituys, pre-1700 pitwis, pre-1700 pitwos, pre-1700 pitwous, pre-1700 pitwys, pre-1700 pytuis, pre-1700 pytuous; N.E.D. (1907) also records forms Middle English pituose, Middle English pytewous. c1300 St. Mary Magdalen (Laud) 22 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 462 Heo was debonere and pitiuous, and heo was a seli foster.a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 1180 William þe ȝong Kniȝt was so neiȝh beside, þat he herd þe pytous pleint þat þemperour made.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Coll. Phys.) 24014 Ful pituus it was þat plaint.1442 T. Bekington Let. in G. Williams Mem. Reign Henry VI (1872) II. 189 Of your moost merciful and pituous grace.a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) 1116 So mercyfulle & so pytewys.1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 320/2 Pytuouse, one that hath pytie.a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 117 Such poverty exercysyth wel the pytuouse myndys.1652 Ripley's Compend of Alchemy in E. Ashmole Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum 121 O pytewouse puryfyer of Soules.1738 tr. S. Guazzo Art of Conversat. 47 He began to groan and weep in a pituous manner.
γ. Middle English piteis, Middle English pitevs, Middle English pyteux, Middle English pyttyvs, Middle English pytyows, Middle English pytyus, Middle English–1500s piteose, Middle English–1500s piteouse, Middle English–1500s piteus, Middle English–1500s pyteous, Middle English–1500s pyteouse, Middle English–1600s pitious, Middle English– piteous, 1500s pitiouse, 1500s pittieux, 1500s–1600s pitteous, 1500s–1600s pittious, 1500s–1600s pytious; Scottish pre-1700 pictyous, pre-1700 piteouse, pre-1700 piteus, pre-1700 pitieous, pre-1700 pitious, pre-1700 pitiouse, pre-1700 pitius, pre-1700 pitteus, pre-1700 1700s– piteous; N.E.D. (1907) also records a form Middle English pytius. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 144 Þe..yefþe of þe holy gost..makeþ þe herte zuete and milde and piteus.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) 24014 Ful piteus it was hir plaint.?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 38 It es a piteous thing to behald.1490 Caxton's Blanchardyn & Eglantine (1962) iv. 19 Þe pyteouse tydynges.c1500 (?a1475) Assembly of Gods (1896) 222 Now..shewe your pyteous face.1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Pitious and pitifull.a1599 E. Spenser Canto Mutabilitie vi. vi, in Faerie Queene (1609) sig. Hh4v O pittious worke of Mutabilitie.a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) i. i. 72 Pitteous playnings of the prettie babes.1722 D. Defoe Moll Flanders 251 O! says she, Mistress, in a piteous Tone.1819 P. B. Shelley Cenci v. ii. 88 That stern yet piteous look, those solemn tones, Wound worse than torture.1914 E. R. Burroughs Tarzan of Apes iii. 43 The piteous wailing of the tiny man-child.
δ. Middle English peteuous, Middle English petevous, Middle English petious, Middle English petivous, Middle English petouse, Middle English petows, Middle English petowse, Middle English pettewes, Middle English petuos, Middle English petuose, Middle English petuous, Middle English petuouse, Middle English petus, Middle English petuys, Middle English petwys, Middle English petyuous, Middle English–1500s peteous, Middle English–1500s peteus, Middle English–1500s petous, Middle English–1500s petyous, 1500s petuus, 1500s petwuos, 1500s petyouse; Scottish pre-1700 peteous, pre-1700 peteouse, pre-1700 peteus, pre-1700 petewis, pre-1700 petewous, pre-1700 petewus, pre-1700 petous, pre-1700 petowis, pre-1700 petows, pre-1700 petuis, pre-1700 petuos, pre-1700 petuous, pre-1700 petus, pre-1700 petuus, pre-1700 petwis, pre-1700 petwous, pre-1700 petws, pre-1700 petwys. ▸ a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) Job iii. 17 Þere vn-petouse men ceseden fro noise.] ?c1400 Erthe upon Erthe (St. John's Cambr.) st. 2 in Archiv f. das Studium der Neueren Sprachen (1919) 138 51 Wen erþe biddiþ erþe his rentis hom to bringe, þen schal erþe haue of erþe a petuos [v.rr. petus, pytyus, peteus; heuy, harde, dolefull] partynge.?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 89 To be petous of poure men.c1480 (a1400) St. Peter 90 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 10 One crist callyt with petowis stewyne.c1500 (?a1475) Assembly of Gods (1896) 1144 With a peteous look. ▸ ?a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 235 Quhois petewous deithe dois to my hart sic pane.c1560 A. Scott Poems (1896) xviii. 30 Makand ane petous mone.
