Adjacent Words

Plaint definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PLAINT, n. [L. plango, to strike, to beat, to lament, whence complaint; Gr. to strike, from the root disused, whence, a stroke; L. plaga, Eng. plague.]
1. Lamentation; complaint; audible expression of sorrow.
From inward grief
His bursting passion into plaints thus pour'd.
2. Complaint; representation made of injury or wrong done.
There are three just grounds of war with Spain; one of plaints; two upon defense.
3. In law, a private memorial tendered to a court, in which the person sets forth his cause of action.
4. In law, a complaint; a formal accusation exhibited by a private person against an offender for a breach of law or a public offense.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: (United Kingdom) a written statement of the grounds of complaint made to court of law asking for the grievance to be redressed
2: a cry of sorrow and grief; "their pitiful laments could be heard throughout the ward" [syn: lament, lamentation, plaint, wail]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin planctus, from plangere to strike, beat one's breast, lament; akin to Old High German fluokh?n to curse, Greek pl?ssein to strike Date: 13th century 1. lamentation, wail 2. protest, complaint

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 Brit. Law an accusation; a charge. 2 literary or archaic a complaint; a lamentation. Etymology: ME f. OF plainte fem. past part. of plaindre, and OF plaint f. L planctus (as PLAIN(2))

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Plaint Plaint, n. [OE. plainte, pleynte, F. plainte, fr. L. plangere, planctum (plancta, fem. p. p.), to beat, beat the breast, lament. Cf. Complain, Plague, Plangent.] 1. Audible expression of sorrow; lamentation; complaint; hence, a mournful song; a lament. --Chaucer.``The Psalmist's mournful plaint.'' --Wordsworth. 2. An accusation or protest on account of an injury. There are three just grounds of war with Spain: one of plaint, two upon defense. --Bacon. 3. (Law) A private memorial tendered to a court, in which a person sets forth his cause of action; the exhibiting of an action in writing. --Blackstone.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(plaints) A plaint is a complaint or a sad cry. (LITERARY) ..a forlorn, haunting plaint. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Lamentation, lament, moan, wail, cry, complaint. 2. Complaint.

Moby Thesaurus

accusal, accusation, accusing, allegation, allegement, arraignment, bawl, bill of particulars, blame, bringing of charges, bringing to book, charge, complaint, count, cry, delation, denouncement, denunciation, dolorous tirade, groan, howl, impeachment, implication, imputation, indictment, information, innuendo, insinuation, jeremiad, keen, lament, lawsuit, laying of charges, moan, murmur, mutter, outcry, planctus, prosecution, reproach, scream, sob, suit, taxing, tirade, true bill, ululation, unspoken accusation, veiled accusation, wail, wail of woe, whimper, whine, yawp, yowl