plaintiff
[ pleyn-tif ]
Origin of plaintiff
1First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English plaintif “complaining person,” noun use of the adjective; see plaintive
Other words from plaintiff
- plain·tiff·ship, noun
Words that may be confused with plaintiff
- plaintiff , plaintive
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for plaintiff
plaintiff
/ (ˈpleɪntɪf) /
noun
(formerly) a person who brings a civil action in a court of law: Now replaced by: claimant Compare defendant (def. 1)
Origin of plaintiff
1C14: from legal French plaintif, from Old French plaintif (adj) complaining, from plainte plaint
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for plaintiff
plaintiff
The party that institutes a suit in a court. The person or entity the plaintiff sues is the defendant.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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