plaint

noun

Examples of plaint in a Sentence

the day after the massacre the plaints of bereaved mothers and wives could be heard throughout the village that taxes are too high is perhaps the most perennial of plaints
Recent Examples on the Web Goldberger's plaint is overstated. Michelle Goldberg, Star Tribune, 8 June 2021 The finished song is desolate but resilient, a hell of a plaint. Lindsay Zoladz, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2022 Somewhere between folk-rock plaint and short story, Margo Price sings about a pregnant woman at a clinic, with a hard-luck past and a tough decision to make. Lindsay Zoladz, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2022 The company said the decision to close came after the plaint failed to secure any capacity revenues in the latest auction held in May by the grid operator, PJM. Chris Mayhew, The Enquirer, 22 July 2021 These points are not the most cynical aspect of McConnell’s plaint, however. Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2020 Among other things, this culture war plaint was a brazen gambit for a rich kid whose start-to-finish private education cost $500,000. Alexander Zaitchik, The New Republic, 25 July 2019 There’s a scene in Fallen Kingdom that will stay with me for a little while: a lone brontosaurus, standing on a shore nearly engulfed in ash and flame, stretching its long neck up to the sky and braying out a mournful plaint. Richard Lawson, HWD, 5 June 2018 Their rhythms can be jagged, but in simpatico ways, and the slightly off-tilt production has echoes of the plaint of the Native Tongues and early Outkast. Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plaint.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin planctus, from plangere to strike, beat one's breast, lament; akin to Old High German fluokhōn to curse, Greek plēssein to strike

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of plaint was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near plaint

Cite this Entry

“Plaint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaint. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

plaint

noun
1
: a crying out : wail
2

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