The word 'sympathy' has a clear and logical journey from ancient Greek to modern English. It originates from the Greek συμπάθεια (sympatheia), itself a compound of σύν (syn, meaning "together") and πάθος (pathos, meaning "feeling, suffering"). The literal meaning was "fellow-feeling" or "community of feeling," where one's emotions are aligned with another's. Borrowed into Latin as 'sympathīa', it entered English in the late 16th century, retaining this core idea of shared emotion. Over time, its usage specialized to most commonly denote a compassionate sharing in the sorrow or misfortune of others, thus linking the ancient concept of "feeling together" directly to the modern sense of pity and understanding.

Structure: sym (together) + pathy (feeling) - sym: A prefix of Greek origin (σύν, syn), meaning "together, with". It is an assimilated form of 'syn-' used before words beginning with 'p'. - pathy: A combining form from Greek πάθος (pathos), meaning "suffering, feeling, emotion". It functions as a root denoting a state or condition of feeling.