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plaintive

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plaintive

Main Entry:: plain·tive
Pronunciation:: \ˈplān-tiv\
Function:: adjective
Etymology:: Middle English plaintif grieving, from Anglo-French pleintif, plaintif, from plaint
Date:: 1579

: expressive of suffering or woe : melancholy <a plaintive sigh>

— plain·tive·ly adverb

— plain·tive·ness noun

Learn more about "plaintive" and related topics at Britannica.com

See a map of "plaintive" in the Visual Thesaurus

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