English
commiserable
Commiserable comes from Latin commiseror ‘to commiserate, pity’, from miser ‘poor, wretched, pitiful’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *misseros.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*misserosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmiser‘poor, wretched, pitiful’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmiseror‘to have pity or mercy, feel sorry for’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommiseror‘to commiserate, pity’
- Englishearliest quotation 1625commiserable
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*misserosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmiser‘poor, wretched, pitiful’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmiseror‘to have pity or mercy, feel sorry for’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommiseror‘to commiserate, pity’
- Englishearliest quotation 1625commiserable
Earliest quotation: 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Plantations: “the Guiltineſſe of Bloud, of many Commiſerable Perſons.”
The story
Formed as commiser-, the present active indicative stem of the Latin commiseror (whence commiserate) + English -able.
Linked words
through Latin miser ‘poor, wretched, pitiful’
Today it means
adj pitiable
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *misseros / commiserable