piedad
pity
noun pyeh-DAHD Rare
Origin: From Latin pietas (duty, devotion, piety).
Also means
piety
Usage Note
Piedad covers two distinct senses: 'pity' or 'mercy' (ten piedad de nosotros = 'have mercy on us') and 'piety' or 'religious devotion' (la piedad de los fieles). In art history La Piedad refers to the Pietà — the image of the Virgin Mary holding Christ's body. Context determines which sense is intended; the 'pity/mercy' meaning is more common in everyday usage.
Examples
"Le pidió piedad al juez antes de la sentencia."
Natural Translation
He asked the judge for mercy before the sentence.

Free starter pack
Building your Spanish vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore Spanish by topic
SpanishNow
6 min read