Pietas
/ˈpi.e.tas/noun
In ancient Roman usage, dutiful devotion, reverence, and loyalty toward the gods, family, and country.
Did you know?In Roman religion, pietas was not mere personal holiness but a binding force of correct relationship, and Aeneas was famously praised as pius because he carried that duty through fire, exile, and fate.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peh₂-
“to protect, tend, or shepherd”
Old Latin
Latin
pios
“dutiful, devout, loyal”
Classical Latin
Latin
pietas
“filial duty, devotion to gods, parents, and homeland”
Old French
Old French
pieté
“piety, devoutness”
Middle English
English
piete
“religious devotion or holiness”
Modern English
English
piety
“devout reverence and religious devotion”