pitying

English

Verb

pitying

1. present participle and gerund of pity

Noun

pitying (plural pityings)

1. The act of one who pities.
   • 1849, Robert Leighton (Archbishop of Glasgow), A practical commentary upon the first Epistle of St. Peter (page 47)

     Oh! the unspeakable privilege to have Him for our Father, who is the Father of mercies and compassions, and those not barren, fruitless pityings, for He is withal the God of all consolations.

2. (collective, rare) A flock of doves.
   • 1975, Aeschylus, translated by Janet Lembke, The Suppliants‎^[1], Oxford University Press:

     Settle in their cleanness/a pitying of doves who know hawkfear

   • 2006, Tome of Magic‎^[2], Wizards of the Coast:

     If you want to represent a smaller swam, such as a pitying of doves, substitute the following statistics...

   • 1963, Lynn Crosbie, Where Did You Sleep Last Night‎^[3], Toronto, Ontario: House of Anansi Press:

     The malady left my body as a pitying of doves as I slept.