Origin: Latin suffix -sion
Compassion has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
"Her compassion was evident as she quietly sat beside her friend while he struggled through his grief."
the humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it
"Her compassion drove her to volunteer at the shelter every weekend to help feed the stray dogs."
Deep awareness of the suffering of another, coupled with the wish to relieve it.
"Her compassion was evident as she gently comforted the crying child and immediately sought help from a nurse."
In plain English: Compassion is feeling sad for someone else's pain and wanting to help them feel better.
"Her compassion for the struggling family led her to donate all her savings."
Usage: Compassion involves both feeling empathy for someone's pain and taking action to help them alleviate that suffering. Unlike sympathy, which is simply sharing in another person's feelings, compassion requires a desire to provide relief.
To pity.
"Seeing the stray dog shiver in the rain filled her heart with compassion, and she immediately shared her jacket."
The word "compassion" comes from the Old French term compassion, which was borrowed into Middle English from Ecclesiastical Latin. It originally described the act of suffering together with someone, derived from the Latin roots for "together" and "to suffer."