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A miserly person.

Fitted to excite pity or sympathy; wretched; miserable; lamentable; sad; as, a piteous case. Spenser. The most piteous tale of Lear. Shak.

Deserving pity; wworthy of, or exciting, compassion; miserable; lamentable; piteous; as, pitiable persons; a pitiable condition; pitiable wretchedness.

To be pitied for littleness or meanness; miserable; paltry; contemptible; despicable. That's villainous, and shows a most pitiful ambition in the fool that uses it. Shak.

feeling for the sufferings or distresses of another or others; sympathy with the grief or misery of another; compassion; fellow- feeling; commiseration. He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord. Prov. xix. 17. He . . . has no more pity in him than a dog. Shak.

A promise or agreement by which one binds one's self to do, or to refrain from doing, something; especially, a solemn promise in writing to refrain from using intoxicating liquors or the like; as, to sign the pledge; the mayor had made no pledges.

y for human wants; abundance; copiousness. "Plenty of corn and wine." Gen. xxvii. 28. "Promises Britain peace and plenty." Shak. Houses of office stuffed with plentee. Chaucer. The teeming clouds Descend in gladsome plenty o'er the world. Thomson.

; easy to be persuaded; -- sometimes in a bad sense; as, a pliable youth. "Pliable she promised to be." Dr. H. More. -- Pli"a*ble*ness, n. -- Pli"a*bly, adv.

To promise; to engage; to betroth. Before its setting hour, divide The bridegroom from the plighted bride. Sir W. Scott.

A voluntary engagement, or a paper containing it; a promise. Bp. Burnet.

icitly stated; clearly expressed; -- opposed to implied; as, a positive declaration or promise. Positive words, that he would not bear arms against King Edward's son. Bacon.

d by precaution. They [ancient philosophers] treasured up their supposed discoveries with miserable precaution. J. H. Newman.

nctilious in conduct or ceremony; formal; ceremonious. Addison. He was ever precise in promise-keeping. Shak.

y respecting all events; especially, the preordination of men to everlasting happiness or misery. See Calvinism.

Prior engagement, obligation, or attachment, as by contract, promise, or affection. My preëngagements to other themes were not unknown to those for whom I was to write. Boyle.

ity or office; the state of being advanced; promotion. Neither royal blandishments nor promises of valuable preferment had been spared. Macaulay.

Full of promise; abounding in ability, resources, etc.; as, a pregnant youth. [Obs.] Evelyn. Wherein the pregnant enemy does much. Shak. Pregnant construction (Rhet.), one in which more is implied than is said; as, the beasts trembled forth from their dens, that is, came forth trembling with fright.…

Premise. Whately. I. Watts

To premise. [Obs.] Donne.

That which is presupposed; a previous supposition or surmise.