- plaintive
- plaintive (adj.) late 14c., "lamenting," from O.Fr. plaintif "complaining," from pleint (see PLAINT (Cf. plaint)). Sense of "mournful, sad" first recorded 1570s. Related: Plaintively.
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
plaintive
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Plaintive — Plain tive, a. [F. plaintif. See {Plaintiff}, n.] 1. Repining; complaining; lamenting. Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. Expressive of sorrow or melancholy; mournful; sad. The most plaintive ditty. Landor. [1913 Webster] {Plain tive*ly}, adv. {Plain… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
plaintive — index disconsolate, lugubrious, querulous Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
plaintive — dolorous, doleful, *melancholy, lugubrious, rueful Analogous words: pensive, reflective, meditative, *thoughtful: lamenting, deploring (see DEPLORE): *pitiful, piteous … New Dictionary of Synonyms
plaintive — [adj] pathetic, woebegone beefing*, bellyaching*, cantankerous, crabby*, cranky*, disconsolate, doleful, grief stricken, grievous, grousing, grumpy*, heartrending, lamenting, lugubrious, melancholy, mournful, out of sorts*, pathetic, piteous,… … New thesaurus
plaintive — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ sounding sad and mournful. DERIVATIVES plaintively adverb plaintiveness noun. ORIGIN Old French, from plaindre complain … English terms dictionary
plaintive — [plān′tiv] adj. [ME pleintif < OFr plaintif: see PLAINTIFF] expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful; sad plaintively adv. plaintiveness n … English World dictionary
plaintive — plain|tive [ˈpleıntıv] adj [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: plaintif, from plaint; PLAINT] a plaintive sound is high, like someone crying, and sounds sad plaintive cry/voice/sound etc ▪ the plaintive cry of the seagull >plaintively adv … Dictionary of contemporary English
plaintive — [[t]ple͟ɪntɪv[/t]] ADJ GRADED A plaintive sound or voice sounds sad. [LITERARY] They lay on the firm sands, listening to the plaintive cry of the seagulls... Her voice was small and plaintive. Syn: mournful Derived words: plaintively ADV GRADED… … English dictionary
plaintive — plain|tive [ pleıntıv ] adjective a plaintive sound is high and sad: a plaintive melody/cry ╾ plain|tive|ly adverb … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
plaintive — adjective a plaintive sound is high, like someone crying, and sounds sad: the plaintive cry of the seagull plaintively adverb … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
