piety

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

See also: pięty

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English piete, borrowed from Middle French pieté, from Latin pietās. See also the doublets pietà and pity. By surface analysis, pious + -ety.

Pronunciation

Noun

piety (countable and uncountable, plural pieties)

  1. (uncountable, religion) Reverence and devotion to God.
    Colleen's piety led her to make sacrifices that most people would not have made.
  2. (uncountable) Similar reverence to one's parents and family or to one's country.
    patriotism as piety, when done right
  3. (countable) A devout or otherwise laudable act, thought, or statement.
    1. A platitude that may be empty or at least facile and undercommitted.
      He was quick with the pieties about hard work, honest communication, active listening, and respecting others' viewpoints, but walking the walk is different from talking the talk.

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Middle English

Noun

piety

  1. Alternative form of piete

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