Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PIT'I-FUL, a. [See Pity.]

1. Full of pity; tender; compassionate; having a heart to feel sorrow and sympathy for the distressed. – James v. 1 Pet. iii. [This is the proper sense of the word.]
2. Miserable; moving compassion; as, a sight most pitiful; a pitiful condition. – Shak. Ray. [This is a very improper use of pitiful for pitiable.]
3. To be pitied for its littleness or meanness; paltry; contemptible; despicable. That's villainous, and shows a most pitiful ambition in the fool that uses it. – Shak.
4. Very small; insignificant.