plight

plight · noun¹

1. Latin · derived fromplicitum“fold”
2. Vulgar Latin · derived from*plictum
3. Old French · derived frompleit“condition, manner of folding”
4. Anglo-Norman · derived fromplit, plyte“fold, condition”
5. Old English · inherited frompliht
6. Middle English · inherited frompliht, plight“risky promise, peril”
7. Middle English · inherited fromplit“fold, wrinkle, bad situation”
8. English todayplight

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”)).

plight · noun, verb²

1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*plihti“care, responsibility, duty”
2. Old English · inherited frompliht“peril, risk, danger, damage, plight”
3. Middle English · inherited fromplight“risk, danger”
4. English todayplight

From Middle English plight (“risk, danger”), from Old English pliht (“peril, risk, danger, damage, plight”), from Proto-West Germanic *plihti (“care, responsibility, duty”). A suffixed form of the root represented by Old English pleoh (“risk, danger, hurt, peril"; also "responsibility”) and plēon (“to endanger, risk”). Akin to Old English plihtan (“to endanger, compromise”). Cognate with Scots plicht (“responsibility, plight”), Dutch plicht, Low German Plicht (“duty”), German Pflicht (“duty”), Danish pligt (“duty”), Yiddish פֿליכט (flikht). More at pledge.

plight · verb³

1. Middle English · inherited fromplyghten
2. English todayplight

From Middle English plyghten, plyȝten, pleyȝten, pleiten, pliten, from the noun (see below).

plight · noun⁴

1. Anglo-Norman · derived frompleit“pleat, fold”
2. Middle English · inherited frompliȝt
3. English todayplight

From Middle English pliȝt, plight, plyt, pleit, from Anglo-Norman pleit (“pleat, fold”). More at plait.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 14th c. A dire or unfortunate situation.
• from 14th c. A (neutral) condition or state.
• 14th–19th c. Good health.