By Ariadne Paulou
The travel of ‘sympathy’ from Ancient Greek to modern English.
The English word sympathy comes from the Greek words syn «together» and pathos «feeling» which in ancient Greek meant «suffering». So, when the English use the word sympathy, they describe the perception, understanding, and reaction to the distress or need of another human being. Being sympathetic and sympathizing with others means that you are able to understand and share in their problems as well as communicate this to others.
On the other hand, συμπάθεια and συμπαθητικός in modern Greek has taken on a completely different meaning, meaning ‘fondness’ and ‘likeable’ accordingly.
The interesting thing if you compare the two modern meanings is that the English has preserved the ancient concept whereas the Greek has changed.
Taking it a bit further, we could also compare the meanings of εμπάθεια and empathy.
The Greek εμπάθεια is a negative term, describing a person full of prejudice, enmity and hostility for others.
On the contrary, in English, empathy is a positive term, used for someone who not only understands but even puts his/her self in other people’s place .
Watch the following video to see what modern English makes of two old Greek ideas.
Sources:
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pathos&allowed_in_frame=0
