/ˈpaɪ.ɪ.ti/
OriginFrom Middle English piete, borrowed from Middle French pieté, from Latin pietās. See also the doublets pietà and pity. By surface analysis, pious + -ety.
- uncountableReverence and devotion to God.
“Colleen's piety led her to make sacrifices that most people would not have made.”
- uncountableSimilar reverence to one's parents and family or to one's country.
“patriotism as piety, when done right”
- countableA devout or otherwise laudable act, thought, or statement.
“Those who dwell outside of Western Establishment bastions are not idiots just because they do not mouth the pieties of GASP. Some of them can write very well. There are other traditions, you know. The”
- countable, uncountableA 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.”
Formspieties(plural) · pietie(alternative, obsolete)