| pathos |
| Definition: The rhetorical tactic of using an emotional appeal to change the audience's beliefs, opinions, or judgments. |
| Example: I murdered her because my parents used to beat me. |
| Etymology: The word derives from the Greek pathos, emotion. |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first OED citation is from 1668: "There is a certain gaiety in their comedies, and pathos in their more serious plays." (Dryden Dram. Poesy Ess. (Ker) I. 81) |