plaintn.
/pleɪnt/, U.S. /pleɪnt/ 1.
a. The action or an act of plaining; audible expression of sorrow; (also) such an expression in verse or song, a lament. Chiefly poetic after 17th cent.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > [noun]
carea1000
sorrowingOE
meaninga1200
moan?c1225
mourning?c1225
plaint?c1225
ruthc1225
weimerc1230
mean?c1250
sorrow?c1250
dolec1290
plainingc1300
woec1300
dolourc1320
mourna1350
waymentingc1350
penancec1380
complaintc1384
lamentationc1384
complainingc1385
moaninga1400
waiminga1400
waymenta1400
waymentationc1400
dillc1420
merourec1429
plainc1475
regratec1480
complainc1485
regretc1500
lamenting1513
doleance1524
deploration1533
deplorement1593
condolement1602
regreeting1606
imploration1607
pother1638
dolinga1668
moanification1827
dolence1861
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 76 Noðelas nis se culuerd as is on pleinte wise.
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 134 (MED) Quanne he hauede þis pleinte maked, Þer-after stronglike [he] quaked.
c1350 Apocalypse St. John: A Version (Harl. 874) (1961) 153 (MED) Þat þei seien woo, woo..bitokneþ þe grete pleynt þat þai shullen maken of her heiȝe kynde þat þai shullen lesen.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) viii. 1442 Whan he hire wofull pleintes herde..Him liste betre forto wepe.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 18144 (MED) Þe blis-ful kyng..bi-heild fra heuen dun To here þe plaint [a1400 Göt plant] of his prisun.
1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 54/2 Whan they of the contre sawe this plancte and sorowyng they saide this is a grete sorow to thegypcyens.
a1542 T. Wyatt Poet. Wks. (1969) 104 Sorowfull david..yt..pausid his plaint and layd adown his harp.
1561 T. Norton & T. Sackville Gorboduc (Shaks. Soc.) i. i. 97 And nowe the daie renewes my griefull plainte.
1588 R. Greene Pandosto sig. C4 Pandosto would once a day repaire to the Tombe, and there with watry plaintes bewaile his misfortune.
1618 W. Lithgow Pilgrimes Farewell sig. D1 From the concaue of my watrie Plaintes, I powre abroade, a Worlde of Discontentes.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost x. 343 The hapless Paire Sate in thir sad discourse, and various plaint . View more context for this quotation
1714 J. Gay Shepherd's Week iii. 26 Sparabella..Did this sad Plaint in moanful Notes devise.
1739 tr. C. Rollin Anc. Hist. (ed. 2) VI. 145 They all burst into tears, and breathed their plaints in the following words.
1770 O. Goldsmith Deserted Village 379 With louder plaints the mother spoke her woes.
1869 L. M. Alcott Little Women II. xxiii. 340 And still we lay, with tender plaint, Relics in this household shrine.
1885 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche iii. xxviii. 38 And piteously with tears her plaint renewed.
1900 J. Conrad Lord Jim xl. 408 At last the tide flowed, silencing the plaint and the cries of pain.
1957 L. Durrell Justine i. 43 Professional mourners made the night hideous with their plaints for the dead.
1988 Jrnl. Royal Mus. Assoc. 113 178 The repeated words are characteristic of a plaint (‘bewail’, ‘woe’, ‘alas’, ‘death’).
b. A sound resembling that of a person plaining; a wailing, a moaning.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > mournful or plaintive sound > [noun]
groan1608
suuma1616
requiem1635
knell1647
moan1730
plaint1730
complaining1735
1730 J. Thomson Autumn in Seasons 171 Haply some widow'd songster pours his plaint, Far, in faint warblings, through the tawny copse.
1742 R. West Ode in Let. 5 May in T. Gray Corr. (1971) I. 201 A plaint is heard from ev'ry tree.
1804 J. Grahame Sabbath 166 The wheeling plover ceas'd Her plaint.
1837 A. Tennent Force of Imag. 7 In mournful plaints of sorrow now It [sc. the pibroch] speaks the battle's close.
a1911 D. G. Phillips Susan Lenox (1917) I. vi. 90 A hundred interesting sounds came from her—tinkling of bells, calls from deck to deck,..grunting of swine, plaint of agitated sheep, the resigned cluckings of many chickens.
1940 W. Faulkner Hamlet i. i. 18 He had already begun to hear the mournful..plaint of a rusted well-pulley.
1987 T. C. Boyle World's End (1988) ii. xxiv. 319 The plaint of bass and guitar was amplified by the addition of a muddy quavering vocal track.
2. † b. A cause or reason for complaint; grounds for reproach, culpability, blame. Obsolete.
a. A statement or representation of wrong, injury, or injustice suffered; a complaint.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > discontent or dissatisfaction > state of complaining > [noun] > a complaint
plainta1275
groinc1374
complaintc1385
murmura1393
grutchc1460
plainc1475
yammer?a1513
puling?1529
objecting1552
obmurmuration1571
regratea1586
repine1593
grumblinga1616
grumble1623
dissatisfactionc1640
obmurmuring1642
rumbling1842
natter1866
grouch1895
beef1900
holler1901
squawk1909
moan1911
yip1911
grouse1918
gripe1934
crib1943
bitch1945
drip1945
kvetch1957
a1275 Body & Soul (Trin. Cambr. B.14.39) l. 117 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 142 Suche plaintes maket þe sauele to þe fles.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1965) Ecclus. xviii. 15 Sone, in goode thingis ȝyue þou not pleynt.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 183 (MED) Þese men..were wery and i-greued of pleyntes and grucchinge of her wyfes.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. iv. 214 Pore men der nat pleyne, ne here pleinte shewe.
1444 in J. Stuart Extracts Council Reg. Aberdeen (1844) I. 12 The alderman..profferand that give thar be ony cause of playnt it suld be well reformyt and amendid.
c1450 (c1400) Sowdon of Babylon (1881) 1600 (MED) He gan to turne him anone for to go To make a playnte on Floripas.
a1500 (?c1414) Paraphr. Seven Penitential Psalms 42 (MED) On myn enmyes a pleynt I make.
1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 1464/2 He shoulde come and present his plaint to the king.
1605 R. Verstegan Restit. Decayed Intelligence vi. 158 Shee with teares made vnto him her plaint.
1661 W. Lower Enchanted Lovers ii. iii. 30 Ismenia. Why complainest thou? Thersander. O gross dissimulation! dar'st thou yet To ask what is my plaint?
1764 J. Boswell Jrnl. 8 Mar. in F. A. Pottle Boswell in Holland (1952) 175 Sir David has poured forth his plaints.
1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. I. xxxii. 441 It was apparent that our savage friends had their plaint to make, or, it might be, to avenge.
1905 Daily Chron. 12 Sept. 4/7 ‘Kitty wins everything,’ is the bookmakers' plaint.
1988 L. Appignanesi Simone de Beauvoir iii. 55 She wanted to hear neither of the other two's narratives or plaints about their experience with the other.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > accusation, charge > [noun] > ground of complaint
lastOE
plainta1382
aggrievance1389
griefc1420
grievance1481
condemnation1534
complaint1732
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1965) Ecclus. vii. 15 Þat a man fynde not aȝen hym riȝtwis pleyntis [a1425 L.V. iust playnyngis; L. justas querimonias].
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) Luke i. 6 Thei bothe weren iuste bifore God, goynge in alle the maundementis and iustifyingis of the Lord with outen pleynte.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 11640 (MED) Þan most þis mai be clene and bright, Wit-vten plaint..O quam þe king þat al can mak Semed his manhed wel to take.
1499 in J. Stuart & G. Burnett Exchequer Rolls Scotl. (1888) XI. 395 That the balye hald foure balye courtis..for..reforming of plants of nychtbourhed and uthiris.
3. Law. A (spoken or written) statement of grievance, submitted to a court of law for the purpose of obtaining redress; an accusation, a charge.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > action of courts in claims or grievances > [noun] > complaint in respect of civil claim
plaintc1300
quarrela1325
relation1593
complaint-
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 2961 (MED) He..bad ubbe, his iustise, Þat he sholde..Denemark yeme and gete so Þat no pleynte come him to.
c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) 1357 (MED) Þe quen pleint made To mi lord þe king and sade Þat þurth fors hir chaumberlain Wald haue hir forlain.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 40 (MED) Ualse plaiteres..ofte lyese þe guode playntes be hare kueadnesse.
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 313 Þat non thar com no sende to courte to mak eft pleynt.
1427–8 in Hist. MSS Comm.: 10th Rep.: App. Pt. V: MSS Marquis of Ormonde &c. (1885) 294 in Parl. Papers (C. 4576-I) XLII. 1 That no citsaine..have no delayes in ony playnthe, butt only in an action of dette.
a1450 ( in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 69 (MED) Falsed shal neuere ben ateynt Til Juge here eche mannys pleynt.
a1500 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 59 Jugement of any playntt for to be gyffen.
1577 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Islande Brit. iii. iii. sig. Niiiv/2, in R. Holinshed Chron. I The parties plaintife & defendant..proceed..by plaint or declaration, aunswere, replication and reioynder, and so to issue, the one side affirmatiuely, the other negatiuely.
1628 E. Coke 1st Pt. Inst. Lawes Eng. 161 When the Lord hath distrained, and Repleuin is made of the distress by writ or by Plaint.
1702 W. Bohun Privilegia Londini 99 On such a day the Defendant held a Shop and used the Mystery of making candles, and a Plaint was levied, and the Defendant arrested.
1768 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. III. xviii. 273 The foundation of such suits continues to be (as in the times of the Saxons) not by original writ, but by plaint; that is, by a private memorial tendered in open court to the judge, wherein the party injured sets forth his cause of action.
1798 A. J. Dallas Rep. Cases U.S. & Pennsylvania 2 205 The proceedings were drawn up, as if it had been a plaint under the landlord and tenant act.
1808 W. Selwyn Abridgem. Law Nisi Prius II. 1020 [When] the proceedings..have been instituted in the county court by plaint, and not by writ.
1863 H. Cox Inst. Eng. Govt. ii. xi. 581 A suit in the county court commences by plaint.
1931 Ld. Justice Scrutton in Law Rep.: King's Bench Div. 2 260 The landlord..issued a county court plaint claiming to get rid of the statutory tenancy under the Rent Restriction Acts.
2000 News (Karachi) 25 Apr. 3/7 Filed by Shafi Muhammadi and Shahid Iqbal Rana advocates, the plaint says Z. A. Bhutto had left behind five legal heirs.
Compounds
C1.
plaint fee n.
ΚΠ
1889 Times 30 Jan. 5/1 Mr. R. W. Gordon..gave the solicitor £1 3s. to pay for plaint fees and to take out summonses against debtors.
1985 R. C. A. White Admin. of Justice iii. ix. 146 The plaintiff will be given a plaint note which acts as a receipt for the plaint fee.
1992 R. Blackford County Court Pract. Handbk. (ed. 10) 26 These requirements are: (1) filing by the plaintiff of the appropriate documents with the court, which are:..(2) payment of the plaint fee and fee for service by bailiff where appropriate.
plaint note n.
ΚΠ
1851 Times 29 Apr. 7/3 The practice of the county court was proved to be to issue a plaint note to the plaintiff, and on the plaintiff producing this plaint note to the proper officer a warrant was issued.
1907 Daily Chron 14 Nov. 7/2 Directly I presented the affidavit I received a duplicate plaint note, which I took to the cash desk in the same office and received the money.
1990 Holiday Which? Jan. 56/3 The court will send you a ‘plaint note’. This is effectively a receipt for the fee but it also confirms the date the summons was served.
plaint number n.
ΚΠ
1978 Times 20 Oct. 14/5 Plaint number 7800994 in the Liskeard County Court.]
1985 R. C. A. White Admin. of Justice iii. ix. 146 The plaintiff will be given a plaint note which..states the plaint number, a unique number used by the court to identify the case in its own records.
1992 R. Blackford County Court Pract. Handbk. (ed. 10) 50 The payer..should produce the plaint note or summons to enable the court to identify the plaint number of the case.
C2. † plaint-bruised adj. Obsolete rare bruised whilst grieving.
ΚΠ
1626 T. May tr. Lucan Pharsalia ii. sig. B7 But one there Her plaint-brusde armes, & moystned cheekes did teare.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2006; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
plaintv.
/pleɪnt/, U.S. /pleɪnt/ Now rare.
1. † b. transitive. To express (something) as a grievance; to complain of. Also with clause as object. Obsolete.
a. intransitive. To make a complaint; to request redress for a wrong. Also with of, on, upon.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > discontent or dissatisfaction > state of complaining > complain [verb (intransitive)]
murkeOE
misspeakOE
yomer971
chidea1000
murkenOE
grutch?c1225
mean?a1300
hum13..
plainta1325
gruntc1325
plainc1325
musea1382
murmurc1390
complain1393
contrary1393
flitec1400
pinea1425
grummec1430
aggrudge1440
hoinec1440
mutterc1450
grudge1461
channerc1480
grunch1487
repine1529
storm?1553
expostulate1561
grumblea1586
gruntle1591
chunter1599
swagger1599
maunder1622
orp1634
objurgate1642
pitter1672
yelp1706
yammer1794
natter1804
murgeon1808
groan1816
squawk1875
jower1879
grouse1887
beef1888
to whip the cat1892
holler1904
yip1907
peeve1912
grouch1916
nark1916
to sound off1918
create1919
moana1922
crib1925
tick1925
bitch1930
gripe1932
bind1942
drip1942
kvetchc1950
to rag on1979
wrinch2011
a1325 St. Anastasia (Corpus Cambr.) 51 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 587 (MED) To þe emperor he wende to plainte [c1300 Harl. & pleignede].
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 8095 Hit pleaside hir priuely; playntyde ho noght.
1562 Extracts Rec. in W. Chambers Charters Burgh Peebles (1872) 288 [To] pas done to the quenis grace to playnt apone Gledstanis.
a1578 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) I. 225 Ye sall haue no cause to plent.
1592 (?a1425) Chester Plays (BL Add.) (1843) I. 184 To the kinge I will anon, To plainte [1591 Huntington playne] upon you all.
1715 A. Pennecuik Curious Coll. Scotish Poems in Geogr., Hist. Descr. Tweeddale App. 86 Cooks and Kailwives baith refus'd him, Because he plainted of their Dish.
1790 J. Fisher Poems Var. Subj. 89 Ye need na plaint upon your muse.
1912 J. London Smoke Bellew (1992) viii. 203 The forerunners were arriving and crowding about them, moaning and plainting in an unfamiliar jargon.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > discontent or dissatisfaction > state of complaining > complain about [verb (transitive)]
plainc1400
muse1402
plaintc1425
grudgec1450
complain1509
murmell1546
to cry out of1548
repine1577
complain1584
remonstrate1625
churl1627
bemurmur1837
holler1936
c1425 (c1400) Laud Troy-bk. 11000 (MED) A dethe! that thow art quaynt! Thi myght may no man speke ne playnt!
1559 J. Knox Wks. (1732) 143 Thare is one point that we plaint is not observed to us.
1570 Warrender Papers (Edinb. Reg. House) f. 139 The Quene of Ingland plenttis that I mak hir na offiris.
2. † a. transitive. To utter or express (something) sorrowfully; to fill (something) with expressions of sorrow. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > discontent or dissatisfaction > state of complaining > complain about [verb (transitive)] > fill with complaints
plainta1425
a1425 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (1987) v. 1597 Youre lettres ful, the papir al ypleynted [v.r. I-peynted], Conceyved hath myn hertes pietee; I have ek seyn with teris al depeynted Youre lettre.
1584–9 J. Maxwall Commonplace Bk. f. 5 Thir rowndales schoirt that I heir plainte Is..Me to comforte quhen I was fainte.
b. intransitive. To express grief or sorrow; to lament, weep, wail; (also) to make a mournful sound.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > cry of grief > cry with grief [verb (intransitive)] > wail
remeeOE
yarmc1000
weinec1275
cry1297
gowlc1300
grotec1300
wailc1330
woulc1340
howlc1405
yammer1481
rane1513
plaintc1540
rheumatize1623
ululate1623
ullagone1828
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 3554 He plainted full pitiously..Of the harmes..hym happont to thole.
c1586 J. Stewart Poems (1913) 17 He plaints, he cryis, scho vill not stay nor stand.
1627 W. Sclater Briefe Expos. 2 Thess. 224 Ieremie somewhere bewailes it; somewhere plaints of it.
1946 J. W. Day Harvest Adventure vii. 103 The rooks..cawed a strange, wild symphony under the rising moon, far into the night, wheeling high under the stars, plainting in the moon-mist.
Derivatives
ˈplainting adj.
ΚΠ
1574 R. Robinson Rewarde of Wickednesse l. 191 The rockes and hilles brake out their plainting sounde.
1599 R. Roche Eustathia sig. H2 And did not in distresse, de frawd her trust. But saw her teeres, and heard her plainting voyce.
1816 J. Wolcott Wks. I. Ode ii. 14 West, I must own thou dost inherit Some portion of the plainting spirit.
1908 L. Mifflin Towards Uplands 39 While plainting murmurs hover o'er the dell.
1998 Hotline (Nexis) 20 Oct. Inglis took the offensive, plainting Hollings as a politician out of touch with the people.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.?c1225
v.a1325