Definition

1. Noun:
   • A cry of sorrow and grief: A formal or literary expression of lamentation or complaint, often expressing sadness or distress.
   • (Law, chiefly UK) A written statement of the grounds of complaint made to a court of law: A formal document initiating a civil lawsuit, in which the plaintiff sets out the facts and legal reasons for seeking a remedy from the court.

Usage and Examples

• As an expression of sorrow:
  • The widow's plaint was heard throughout the quiet village.
  • The poem is a moving plaint for a lost age.
• As a legal document:
  • The solicitor filed a plaint with the county court.
  • The plaint outlined the specific breaches of contract.

Advanced Usage

• "To file/lodge a plaint": The standard legal phrase for submitting the formal complaint document to the court.
  • The claimant lodged a plaint against her former employer.
• "Plaint note": A less common term referring to the official court document acknowledging receipt of the plaint.

Variants and Related Words

• Plaintiff (n): The party who initiates a lawsuit by filing a plaint.
• Plaintive (adj): Expressing sorrow; mournful, melancholy.
  • He heard the plaintive cry of a distant bird.
• Complaint (n): A more general term for expressing grievance or, in law, the equivalent document in many jurisdictions (especially US law).

Synonyms

• Lament: A passionate expression of grief or sorrow.
• Lamentation: The act of lamenting; a wail.
• Wail: A prolonged high-pitched cry of pain, grief, or anger.
• Petition (legal): A formal written request, typically one signed by many people, appealing to authority with a particular cause. (Note: In law, 'petition' and 'plaint' can be similar but are used in different contexts and jurisdictions.)

Notes on Usage

• The legal meaning of "plaint" is now primarily used in the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth countries. In modern American legal English, the term "complaint" is almost universally used instead.
• The literary/archaic meaning (a cry of sorrow) is rare in everyday modern English but may be found in poetry, older texts, or for deliberate stylistic effect.

Noun

1. a cry of sorrow and grief
   • their pitiful laments could be heard throughout the ward
2. (United Kingdom) a written statement of the grounds of complaint made to court of law asking for the grievance to be redressed