First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
1plight
verb \ˈplīt\
Definition of PLIGHT
transitive verb
See plight defined for English-language learners
See plight defined for kids
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Origin of PLIGHT
Middle English, from Old English plihtan to endanger, from pliht danger; akin to Old English plēon to expose to danger, Old High German pflegan to take care of
2plight
noun \ˈplīt\
Definition of PLIGHT
: a solemnly given pledge : engagement
Origin of PLIGHT
(see 1plight)
First Known Use: 13th century
3plight
noun \ˈplīt\
Definition of PLIGHT
: an unfortunate, difficult, or precarious situation
Examples of PLIGHT
- Huckelberry decided to use the owl's plight as the impetus to craft a comprehensive conservation plan. —Terry McCarthy, Time, 4 Apr. 2005
- It's a sign of where the health-care debate has gone that truly big dilemmas—like the plight of the 42.6 million people still uninsured or the future of Medicare—are taking a back seat to what was only recently a relatively minor campaign issue. —Jonathan Alter, Newsweek, 9 Oct. 2000
- New political arrangements helped do in both Uruguay and New Zealand, and behind those arrangements are the plights of western Europe's old agricultural supply regions, especially those of France. —Jane Jacobs, Cities and the Wealth of Nations, 1984
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Origin of PLIGHT
Middle English plight, plit danger, condition, in part from Old English pliht; in part from Anglo-French plit, pleit, pli condition, plight, literally, bending, fold — more at plait
First Known Use: 13th century
PLIGHT[1] Defined for Kids
plight
noun \ˈplīt\
Definition of PLIGHT for Kids
: a bad condition or state : predicament <There really seemed to be no means of escape, and … they realized their helpless plight … — L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz>
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