plight

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“
So far from having any advantage over the spoon-man, our plight is his.

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Definitions (27)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (6)

  1. noun A situation, especially a bad or unfortunate one. See Synonyms at predicament.
  2. transitive verb To promise or bind by a solemn pledge, especially to betroth.
  3. transitive verb To give or pledge (one's word or oath, for example).
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (11)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (6)

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Examples (50)

  • “The answer lies ahead.” Elena, relieved that the burden of responsibility for their plight was taken from her shoulders, had let her gaze wander back behind them. —  Witch Fire.htm
  • So, because we are part of her community, and because her plight is also our plight, we are raising a rallying cry. —  Ask Allison
  • To muster support for their plight, the veterans mounted a public-relations campaign that included wildly sensationalistic "recollections" owing much to the dime novels of the "Wild West." —  Charlottesville Blogs
  • Because migrants are a key component of the workforce in both developed and developing countries, addressing their plight is a major concern, writes Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development —  IPS Inter Press Service
  • Until and unless these savages look in the mirror and admit that they are solely to blame for their plight, there will be no improvement. —  THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

predicament ·  tidings ·  mien ·  catastrophe ·  strait ·  perplexity ·  fate ·  calamity ·  blunder ·  misunderstanding ·  doings ·  surrounding

Used in the same contextWord Family

plight:   plights
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (7)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. Middle English, alteration (influenced by plight, risky promise or pledge) of plit, fold, wrinkle, situation, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin plicitum, neuter past participle of plicāre, to fold; see plek- in Indo-European roots.
  2. Middle English plighten, from Old English plihtan, to endanger, put at risk, from pliht, danger, risk; see dlegh- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (5)

  1. from Middle English plight, plyght, pliʒt, pliht, danger, pledge, from Anglo-Saxon pliht, danger, damage, = OFries.plicht, danger; cf. OFries. plicht, care, concern, = Middle Dutch plicht, plecht, duty, debt, Dutch pligt, duty, = Middle Low German Low German plicht = Old High German phliht, flint, Middle High German pfliht, phliht, friendly care, concern, service, duty, German pflicht, duty, = Swedish Danish pligt (from Low German ?), duty; with abstract formative -t, from the verb found in the rare Anglo-Saxon *pléon, plión (a strong verb, preterit pleah, plēh), expose to danger, risk (whence also pleoh, plioh, contr. pleó, plió = OFries. plē, plī, danger), or in the related weak verb, Old Saxon plegan, promise, pledge, = OFries. plegia, pligia, be wont, = Middle Dutch pleghen, be wont, practise, take care of, Dutch plegen, pledge, be wont, = Middle Low German plegen = Old High German pflegan, phlegan, phlekan, plegan, Middle High German phlegen, pflegen, German pflegen, promise or engage to do, take care of, keep, be accustomed (etc.), = SW. pläga = Danish pleje, be wont, = Anglo-Saxon plegan, plegian, play, orig. be in active motion: see play. The Old French plevir, pledge, cannot be from the Teutonic (Old Saxon plegan, etc.), but is to be referred, with the Old French pleige, Middle Latin plegium, etc. (whence English pledge), to the L. præbere, proffer, give: see plevin, pledge. The word plight has been confused with plight, state, condition: see plight.
  2. from Middle English plighten, plyghten, pliʒten, plyʒten, plihten, pledge, from Anglo-Saxon plihtan, imperil, bring danger upon; = Dutch ver-pligten, ver-plichten = Middle Low German plichten = Middle High German pflihten, phlihten, German bei-pflichten, ver-pflichten = Swedish bepligta, för-pligta = Danish for-pligte, til-pligte, pledge, engage, bind; from the noun.
  3. An erroneous spelling, due to confusion with plight, of plite, from Middle English plite, plyte, plit, state, condition, from Old French plite, pliste, condition, from Middle Latin *plicita, properly feminine of Latin plicitus, past participle of plicare, fold: see ply. Cf. plight.
  4. An erroneous spelling of plite, from Middle English pliten, plyten, variant of plaiten, plait: see plait, and cf. pleat, plat, v.
  5. Also pleight; an erroneous spelling of plite, from Middle English plite, plyte, a variant of plaite, a fold, plait: see plait, and cf. pleat, plat, n.
 

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/plaɪt/
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