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plaintiff

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plain⋅tiff

  [pleyn-tif]
Use plaintiff in a Sentence
–noun Law.
a person who brings suit in a court (opposed to defendant ).
Origin:
1350–1400; ME plaintif complaining person, n. use of the adj.: plaintive

Related forms:
plain⋅tiff⋅ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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plain·tiff   (plān'tĭf)   
n.   Law
The party that institutes a suit in a court.

[Middle English plaintif, from Anglo-Norman pleintif, from Old French plaintif, aggrieved; see plaintive.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

plaintiff

The party that institutes a suit in a court. The person or entity the plaintiff sues is the defendant.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

plaintiff 
c.1400, from Anglo-Fr. pleintif (1278), noun use of O.Fr. plaintif "complaining," from pleint (see plaint). Identical with plaintive at first; the form that receded into legal usage retained the older -iff spelling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: plain·tiff
Pronunciation: 'plAn-t&f
Function: noun
Etymology: 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
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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