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We won't complain about the origins of plaintiff, although complain and plaintiff are distantly related; both can be traced back to plangere, a Latin word meaning "to strike, beat one's breast, or lament." Plaintiff comes most immediately from Middle English plaintif, itself an Anglo-French borrowing tracing back to plaint, meaning "lamentation." (The English word plaintive is also related.) Logically enough, plaintiff applies to the one who does the complaining in a legal case.
Examples of plaintiff in a Sentence
Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2025
One of the plaintiffs in the AAUP lawsuit is Aslı Bâli, a Yale Law School professor and president of the nonprofit Middle East Studies Association.
—Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 18 Apr. 2025
Tuesday’s filing also expressed the plaintiffs’ intent to appeal the dismissal from the lawsuit of jailer Angel Sanchez on April 3, and the court’s denial of the plaintiffs’ request to amend their complaint in response to the Feb. 7 dismissal of the county from the case.
—Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2025
The two plaintiffs who filed the initial complaint may also file a motion to receive a settlement class representative service award for up to $5,000 each, which would come out of the $4 million pool.
—ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plaintiff
Cite this Entry
“Plaintiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaintiff. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plaintiff
noun
Legal Definition
plaintiff
noun
Middle French plaintif, from plaintif, adj., grieving, from plaint lamentation, from Latin planctus, from plangere to strike, beat one's breast, lament
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