pathos

Definition of Pathos: Pathos refers to a quality in art or speech that evokes feelings of pity, sympathy, or sorrow in the audience or reader. It’s a powerful tool used in rhetoric, literature, and various forms of media to connect emotionally with the audience, often to persuade or deeply engage them. In a broader sense, it can also refer to the experience of these emotions.

Etymology and Origin: The word “pathos” comes directly from Greek, where it means “suffering,” “experience,” or “emotion.” It is derived from the Greek word ‘πάθος’ (pathos). The term entered the English language in the 16th century, maintaining its Greek meaning.

In Greek philosophy, particularly in the work of Aristotle, pathos was one of the three modes of persuasion (alongside ethos and logos) used in rhetoric. While ‘ethos’ appeals to ethics and ‘logos‘ to logical reasoning, ‘pathos’ appeals to the audience’s emotions. The transition of ‘pathos’ into English preserved this sense of emotional appeal and its connection to suffering and deep feeling.