pathos
noun /ˈpeɪθɒs/
/ˈpeɪθɑːs/
[uncountable]- (in writing, speech and plays) the power of a performance, description, etc. to make you feel sympathy or be sad
- The scene was full of pathos.
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from Greek pathos ‘suffering’; related to paskhein ‘suffer’ and penthos ‘grief’.