The word 'sympathise' originates from the Greek 'sympatheia', a compound of 'syn-' (together) and 'pathos' (feeling, suffering). This was adopted into Latin as 'sympathia', entering English via French in the 16th century. The literal meaning, "to suffer or feel together", captures the core concept of shared emotion. Over time, the verb 'sympathise' evolved from this concrete sense of shared suffering to encompass the more abstract modern meanings of understanding another's feelings or supporting a shared viewpoint.

Structure: sym (together) + path (feeling) + ise (verb suffix) - sym: From Greek, a prefix meaning "together, with, same". It is an assimilated form of 'syn-' used before 'p', 'b', or 'm'. - path: From Greek 'pathos', meaning "suffering, feeling, experience". It functions as the core root conveying the concept of emotion or feeling. - ise: A verb-forming suffix of Greek origin (via Latin and French), indicating "to act, to make, to become".