plaint

The story

1. Latin · derived fromplango“to beat one's breast, to lament”
2. Latin · derived fromplanctus“a beating of the breast in lamentation, beating, lamentation”
3. Medieval Latin · derived fromplancta“plaint”
4. Old French · derived frompleinte“lamentation”
5. Anglo-Norman · derived fromplainte“lamentation”
6. Middle English · inherited fromplainte
7. English todayplaint

From Middle English plainte, borrowed from Anglo-Norman plainte (“lamentation”), plaint (“lament”), and Old French pleinte (“lamentation”), pleint (“lament”) (modern French plainte), from Medieval Latin plancta (“plaint”), from Latin planctus (“a beating of the breast in lamentation, beating, lamentation”), from Latin plango (“to beat one's breast, to lament”); see plain.

Words from the same roots