ruth

1. (archaic) Sorrow for the misery of another; pity, compassion; mercy.Examples: "It was my fortune to be at Rome, upon a day that one Catena, a notorious high-way theefe, was executed: at his strangling no man of the companie seemed to be mooved to any ruth[…]."; "[…]under her light eyebrows glimmered an eye devoid of ruth[…]."; "2011, Turisas (Mathias Nygård), Hunting Pirates Scum they are! —Foe of mankind! Clear the sea! —Show no ruth!"Synonyms: commiseration, rue, bowels, commiseration, compassion, empathy, fellow feeling, mercyarchaiccountableuncountable

2. (now rare) Repentance; regret; remorse.Examples: "1896, A. E. Housman, A Shropshire Lad, XLIV, 2005, The Works of A. E. Housman [1994, The Collected Poems of A. E. Housman], page 61, Now to your grave shall friend and stranger With ruth and some with envy come […]."; "~1937, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fall of Arthur He mourned too late In ruth for the rending of the Round Table."Synonyms: contrition, agenbite, remorse, rue, ruth, compunction, contrition, penitencearchaiccountableuncountable

3. (obsolete) Sorrow; misery; distress.Synonyms: dejection, unhappiness, blueness, blues, crestfallenness, dejection, depression, despondencycountableobsoleteuncountable

4. (obsolete) Something which causes regret or sorrow; a pitiful sight.Synonyms: hardship, sorrow, affliction, aggrievance, distress, grief, grievance, hardshipcountableobsoleteuncountable