Part 305

Pit"ted (-td), a. 1. Marked with little pits, as in smallpox. See Pit, v. t., 2.

2. (Bot.) Having minute thin spots; as, pitted ducts in the vascular parts of vegetable tissue.

Pit"ter (?), n. A contrivance for removing the pits from peaches, plums, and other stone fruit.

Pit"ter, v. i. To make a pattering sound; to murmur; as, pittering streams. [Obs.] R. Greene.

Pit"tle-pat`tle (?), v. i. To talk unmeaningly; to chatter or prattle. [R.] Latimer.

Pi*tu"i*ta*ry (?), a. [L. pituita phlegm, pituite: cf. F. pituitarie.] (Anat.) (a) Secreting mucus or phlegm; as, the pituitary membrane, or the mucous membrane which lines the nasal cavities. (b) Of or pertaining to the pituitary body; as, the pituitary fossa.

Pituitary body or gland (Anat.), a glandlike body of unknown function, situated in the pituitary fossa, and connected with the infundibulum of the brain; the hypophysis. -- Pituitary fossa (Anat.), the ephippium.

Pit"u*ite (?), n. [L. pituita: cf. F. pituite. Cf. Pip a disease of fowls.] Mucus, phlegm.

Pi*tu"i*tous (?), a. [L. pituitosus: cf. F. pituiteux.] Consisting of, or resembling, pituite or mucus; full of mucus; discharging mucus.

Pituitous fever (Med.), typhoid fever; enteric fever.

Pit"y (?), n.; pl. Pities (#). [OE. pite, OF. pitÈ, pitiÈ, F. pitiÈ, L. pietas piety, kindness, pity. See Pious, and cf. Piety.] 1. Piety. [Obs.] Wyclif.

2. A feeling for the sufferings or distresses of another or others; sympathy with the grief or misery of another; compassion; fellow-feeling; commiseration.

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord.

Prov. xix. 17.

He . . . has no more pity in him than a dog.

Shak.

3. A reason or cause of pity, grief, or regret; a thing to be regretted. "The more the pity." Shak.

What pity is it That we can die but once to serve our country!

Addison.

In this sense, sometimes used in the plural, especially in the colloquialism: "It is a thousand pities."

Syn. -- Compassion; mercy; commiseration; condolence; sympathy, fellow-suffering; fellow-feeling. -- Pity, Sympathy, Compassion. Sympathy is literally fellow-feeling, and therefore requiers a certain degree of equality in situation, circumstances, etc., to its fullest exercise. Compassion is deep tenderness for another under severe or inevitable misfortune. Pity regards its object not only as suffering, but weak, and hence as inferior.

Pit"y (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pitied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Pitying.] 1. To feel pity or compassion for; to have sympathy with; to compassionate; to commiserate; to have tender feelings toward (any one), awakened by a knowledge of suffering.

Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

Ps. ciii. 13.

2. To move to pity; -- used impersonally. [Obs.]

It pitieth them to see her in the dust.

Bk. of Com. Prayer.

Pit"y, v. i. To be compassionate; to show pity.