pathos etymology

Etymology and Meaning of Pathos

The word "pathos" comes from the Greek word "pathē" (πάθη), which means "suffering, passion, experience." It is related to the verb "paschein" (πάσχειν), which means "to suffer, to experience, to undergo."

In English, "pathos" refers to the quality of evoking emotions, especially pity or sadness. It is often used in the context of literature, art, and music to describe the ability of a work to elicit a strong emotional response from the audience.

Origin of Pathos

The concept of pathos originated in ancient Greek philosophy, particularly in the works of Aristotle. In his treatise on rhetoric, the "Rhetoric," Aristotle identified three main modes of persuasion: ethos, pathos, and logos.

• Ethos refers to the credibility and trustworthiness of the speaker.
• Logos refers to the use of logical arguments and evidence.
• Pathos refers to the appeal to the emotions of the audience.

Aristotle believed that pathos was a powerful tool of persuasion, as it could influence the audience's judgment by evoking strong feelings. He identified several techniques for using pathos effectively, such as storytelling, vivid imagery, and emotional language.

Contemporary Usage of Pathos

Today, pathos remains an important concept in communication and storytelling. Writers, speakers, and artists often use pathos to connect with their audience on an emotional level and persuade them to adopt a particular viewpoint or take a specific action.

Examples of pathos in everyday life include:

• A journalist using emotional language to convey the impact of a natural disaster.
• A politician using personal anecdotes to connect with voters.
• A musician using melancholic melodies to evoke sadness.
• A comedian using humor to provoke laughter and release tension.

pathos relate terms

• anthropopathy

  Etymology Anthropopathy comes from the Greek words anthropо human pathos suffe

• antipathy

  Etymology Ancient Greek ἀντιπάθεια antipatheia from ἀντί anti

• apathy

  Etymology From Late Latin apatheia from Greek ἀπάθεια apatheia from ἄπα

• empathy

  Etymology Greek empatheia Latin empatia Middle French empatie English empath

• idiopathy

  Etymology The word idiopathy is derived from the Greek words idios ἰδιος m

• nepenthe

  Etymology The word nepenthe comes from the ancient Greek language νῆπενθές

• osteopathy

  Etymology Osteopathy is derived from the Greek words osteo ὀστέον meaning

• pathetic

  Etymology The word pathetic comes from the Greek word pathos meaning suffering or

• patho

  Etymology The word patho is derived from the Greek word pathos which means sufferin

• pathogenic

  Pathogenic Etymology and Meaning Etymology Derived from Greek pathos suffering

• pathognomonic

  Etymology Patho Greek suffering disease Gnomonic Greek distinctive characterist

• pathology

  Etymology Greek pathos suffering disease logos study Meaning The branch o

• pathos

• psychopathic

  Etymology Psycho Greek Mind soul Pathos Greek Feeling suffering Meaning Psyc

• sympathy

  Etymology Late Middle English from Old French simpathie from Late Latin sympathia fro

• commiseration

  Etymology Latin commiserari meaning to have pity on to commiserate Meaning The

• pity

  Etymology The word pity comes from the Old French word pitié which in turn comes fr

• ruth

  Etymology origin of the word The name Ruth is of Hebrew origin and comes from the word

• empathetic

  Etymology Empathy is derived from the Greek words empatheia ἐμπάθεια me

• pathology

  Etymology Greek pathos suffering disease logos study Meaning The branch o

• apathy

  Etymology From Late Latin apatheia from Greek ἀπάθεια apatheia from ἄπα

• sympathy

  Etymology Late Middle English from Old French simpathie from Late Latin sympathia fro

• hurt

  Etymology The word hurt derives from the Middle English word hurten which is of Ang

• quality

  Etymology The word quality derives from the Latin word qualitas which means nature

• style

  Etymology The word style originated from the Latin word stilus which means a pointe