Compassionating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Feeling or expressing deep sympathy and concern for someone who is suffering or in distress
2. Demonstrating a heartfelt understanding and an empathetic response to the struggles of others
3. Engaging in acts of kindness and support towards those facing hardship or emotional pain

Etymology: "Compassionating" is the present participle of "compassionate," so its story is really the story of the verb's root. The base word looks like a Latin formation, but it was built in English from French material. The source words are the French "compassionner," meaning "to feel sorry for," and its past participle "compassionné." English speakers took that French form and gave it a Latin-style shape, producing the pseudo-Latin "compassionatus," which was never a real Latin word. Because the English word was assembled from the pieces "compassion" and "-ate," it looks like a normal derivation, even though the Latin-looking ending was added to French material rather than inherited from classical Latin. The participle simply follows the verb's pattern, adding "-ing" to the stem "compassionate," which keeps the sense of feeling and showing sympathy in an ongoing way.