plaignant

plaintiff

noun pleh-NYAHN Rare

Also means

complainant

Usage Note

Plaignant is the legal term for the person who files a complaint or brings a lawsuit — the claimant or plaintiff. The feminine is plaignante. It derives from the verb plaindre (to pity; to complain), and the reflexive se plaindre (to complain) is its everyday counterpart. In French legal procedure a plaignant who formally becomes a party to proceedings is called a partie civile.

Examples

"La plaignante a témoigné devant le tribunal ce matin."

Natural Translation

The plaintiff testified before the court this morning.

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