plaintiff

[ pleyn-tif ]
/ ˈpleɪn tɪf /

noun Law.

a person who brings suit in a court (opposed to defendant).

Origin of plaintiff

1350–1400; Middle English plaintif complaining person, noun use of the adj.: plaintive

OTHER WORDS FROM plaintiff

plain·tiff·ship, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH plaintiff

plaintiff plaintive

Example sentences from the Web for plaintiff

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)

Word Origin for plaintiff

C14: from legal French plaintif, from Old French plaintif (adj) complaining, from plainte plaint

Cultural definitions for plaintiff

plaintiff

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