plaintive
English
editEtymology
editFrom Middle English pleintif, plentyff, from French plaintif (“aggrieved, lamenting”), from plainte (“lament, complaint”); see plaint. Doublet of plaintiff.
Pronunciation
edit- IPA(key): /ˈpleɪntɪv/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Adjective
editplaintive (comparative more plaintive, superlative most plaintive)
- Sounding sorrowful, mournful or melancholic.
- a typically plaintive song from Radiohead
- I can see by your plaintive smile something is wrong, so spill it.
Related terms
editTranslations
editSorrowful, mournful or melancholic
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Further reading
edit- “plaintive”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “plaintive”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
French
editPronunciation
editAudio: (file)
Adjective
editplaintive
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from French
- English doublets
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- French terms with audio links
- French non-lemma forms
- French adjective forms