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Pathos

Ethos, pathos and logos are the three styles of rhetoric.

Indeed, all three of those words come from the Greek language, as does the word “rhetoric”. In fact, one could say that Aristotle was the father of rhetoric. He certainly was the one to formalise it and provide a set of rules for its successful rhetor.

“Πάθος”/”Pathos“, appeared in the English language in 1591. In the English language, it means “a quality that evokes pity or sadness”.

In its original meaning, in the Greek language, the word derives from the verb “πάσχω”, meaning “to suffer“. In that sense, the word “πάθος” means “suffering“.

In both Greek and English, the word is used to form other emotionally heavy words such as “συμπάθεια” meaning “sympathy“, and “αντιπάθεια” meaning “antipathy“.

  2011  /  Pathos  /  Last Updated January 4, 2013 by Phlegyas  / 

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