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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
Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 20 Nov. 2024
In the lower courts, both the Biden administration and lawyers for a group of transgender plaintiffs argued the pro-trans position.
—Ian Millhiser, Vox, 15 Nov. 2024
The Alliance for Full Acceptance, an LGBTQ advocacy group in South Carolina, is also a plaintiff.
—Tyler Kingkade, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
On retrial, though, a second jury would rule in favor of the plaintiffs.
—Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 12 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for plaintiff 
Dictionary Entries Near plaintiff
Cite this Entry
“Plaintiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaintiff. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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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