English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kəmĭʹzərət, IPA^(key): /kəˈmɪzəɹət/

Adjective

commiserate ‎(not comparable)

1. (obsolete, rare) commiserating, pitying, lamentful
   • 1593: Thomas Nashe, Christ’s Teares over Jerusalem, page 157 (1815 edited republication)

     In the time of Gregory Nazianzene, if we may credit ecclesiastical records, there sprung up the direfulest mortality in Rome that mankind hath been acquainted with; scarce able were the living to bury the dead, and not so much but their streets were digged up for graves, which this holy Father (with no little commiserate heart-bleeding) beholding, commanded all the clergy (for he was at that time their chief bishop) to assemble in prayer and supplications, and deal forcingly beseeching with God, to intermit his fury and forgive them.

References

• “†coˈmmiserate, ppl. a.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]

Etymology 2

Modelled upon commiserāt-, the perfect passive participial stem of the Latin commiseror.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kəmĭʹzərāt, IPA^(key): /kəˈmɪzəɹeɪt/

Verb

commiserate ‎(third-person singular simple present commiserates, present participle commiserating, simple past and past participle commiserated)

1. (transitive) To feel or express compassion or sympathy for (someone or something).
2. (transitive, intransitive) To offer condolences jointly with; express sympathy with.
3. (intransitive, as the phrasal verb commiserate with) To sympathize; condole.

Derived terms

• commiserating, commiseratingly
• commiseration

Translations

References

• “commiserate, v.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]

Related terms

• misery

Italian

Verb

commiserate

1. second-person plural present indicative of commiserare
2. second-person plural imperative of commiserare
3. feminine plural of commiserato

Anagrams

• ammoscirete
• esercitammo

Latin

Participle

commiserāte

1. vocative masculine singular of commiserātus