Piety
/ˈpaɪ.ə.ti/noun
The quality of being devoutly religious or reverent.
Did you know?Piety comes from Latin pietas, a word that meant duty, loyalty, and reverence to gods, parents, and country—so in Rome, being “pious” was as much about obligation as prayer.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peh₂-
“to tend, care for, protect”
Latin
Latin
pietās
“dutifulness, devotion, reverence; loyalty to family, gods, and country”
Late Latin
Latin
piātātem
“religious devotion, dutiful respect”
Old French
Old French
pieté
“piety, devoutness”
Middle English
English
piete
“devotion, holiness”
Modern English
English
piety
“devout religious reverence”