-patheticcomb. form
Primary stress is attracted to the second syllable of this combining form and vowels may be reduced accordingly; see e.g.
idiopathetic adj.Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: -pathy comb. form, -etic suffix.
Etymology: < -path- (in -pathy comb. form) + -etic suffix, after pathetic adj.Earliest in the 17th cent. in idiopathetic adj. Compare occurrence of the same ending in borrowed words in the 17th cent., as antipathetic adj., sympathetic adj. Combining with first elements ultimately of Greek origin.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2021).