English
sympathize
Sympathize comes from French sympathiser ‘to hit it off’, and goes back to sympathie ‘sympathy’.
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsympathie‘sympathy’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentsympathiser‘to hit it off’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1594sympathize
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsympathie‘sympathy’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentsympathiser‘to hit it off’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1594sympathize
Earliest quotation: c. 1594, William Shakespeare, The Comedie of Errors: “And all that are assembled in this place, That…”
Equivalent to sympathy + -ize
Ancient Greek πάσχω ‘to undergo, experience’
…
Ancient Greek σῠμπᾰθής ‘affected by like feelings’
Ancient Greek σῠμπᾰ́θειᾰ ‘fellow feeling’
Late Latin sympathīa ‘feeling in common’
Middle French sympathie
English sympathy
Every English word from French sympathie
Today it means
verb To have, show or express sympathy; to be affected by feelings similar to those of another, in consequence of knowing the person to be thus affected; to feel for.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / French sympathie / sympathize