Legal Dictionary
Main Entry:
plain·tiffPronunciation:
'plAn-t&fFunction:
nounEtymology: Middle French
plaintif, from
plaintif, adj., grieving, from
plaint lamentation, from Latin
planctus, from
plangere to strike, beat one's breast, lament
: the party who institutes a legal action or claim (as a counterclaim) —see also
COMPLAINANT,
COMPLAINT,
LIBELLANT —compare
DEFENDANT,
PROSECUTION