Added 9 October 2026
plight
/plaɪt/ noun
Latin root: plicitum Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about plight at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
A situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one.
finds himself in a most awkward predicament
- A solemn pledge of fidelity.
verb
Origin
From Middle English plit (“fold, wrinkle, bad situation”), conflation of Middle English pliht, plight (“risky promise, peril”) (from Old English pliht "danger, risk"; see Etymology 2) and Anglo-Norman plit, plyte (“fold, condition”), from Old French pleit (“condition, manner of folding”) (from Vulgar Latin *plictum, from Latin plicitum (“fold”)).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)