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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
Solcyré Burga, TIME, 2 Dec. 2024
Advertisement In the weeks since issuing his judgment, Carter incessantly pushed VA officials and the veteran plaintiffs’ housing experts to quickly produce modular units on the parking lot of UCLA’s Jackie Robinson stadium and other vacant parcels on the campus.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2024
Lawyers and plaintiffs often need cash, and litigation funding can provide it.
—Robert W. Wood, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Judges had discretion over the $1,000 payouts, plaintiffs had to prove physical harm, and to even bring a case, attorneys had to mobilize each plaintiff individually.
—Paresh Dave, WIRED, 25 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 9 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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