noun
plaint
PLAYNT/pleɪnt/
An expression of sorrow or complaint.
The man voices a sorrowful plaint beside his damaged instrument.
Etymology
Latin planctus joined lamentation with beating the breast, probably through that gesture of grief. English plaint retained the expression of sorrow and broadened to include complaint.
In context
there came to me The sorrow- laden plaint of her, the fair, The peerless Dulcinea del Toboso.
More examples
- He listens patiently to her plaint about the long wait.
- The song gives voice to a grieving mother's plaint.
- Their plaints about rising rents go unanswered.
Forms
plaint · plaints
plaintive adjective — Expressing sadness or sorrow in tone.