noun
plaint
Plaint (noun) means an expression of unhappiness about something.
noun
1
An expression of unhappiness about something.
2
A sad or mournful cry.
"His shriek was as feeble as the plaint of a grass-stalk in a storm."
— Xavier Herbert (1938)
"I heard voices calling to me, just discernible above the engine noise; I stopped, and switched off. There were no voices, nothing, but far, far away the plaint of an unmilked cow."
— John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids (1951)
3
A statement accusing someone of wrongdoing.
"Once the plaint had been made there was nothing that could be done to revoke it."
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Etymology
The word comes from Middle English plainte, itself borrowed from Anglo-Norman plainte (“lamentation”) and plaint (“lament”), and from Old French pleinte (“lamentation”) and pleint (“lament”) (surviving as modern French plainte). These trace back to Medieval Latin plancta (“plaint”), from Latin planctus (“a beating of the breast in lamentation, beating, lamentation”), from Latin plango (“to beat one's breast, to lament”); see plain.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for plaint
See all rhymes for plaint →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of plaint?
"plaint" (noun) means an expression of unhappiness about something.
What is another word for plaint?
Other words for "plaint" include wail, lamentation, lament.
What are the different meanings of plaint?
"plaint" has 3 main meanings: 1. An expression of unhappiness about something; 2. A sad or mournful cry; 3. A statement accusing someone of wrongdoing.
