litigant

American  

[lit-i-guhnt] / ˈlɪt ɪ gənt /

noun

1. a person engaged in a lawsuit.

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adjective

1. litigating; engaged in a lawsuit.

litigant British  

/ ˈlɪtɪɡənt /

noun

1. a party to a lawsuit

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adjective

1. engaged in litigation

Usage

What does litigant mean? A litigant is a person engaged in a lawsuit.To litigate is to engage in a legal proceeding, such as a lawsuit. It can mean to bring a lawsuit or to contest one.The word especially refers to what lawyers do in such a proceeding. In fact, another name for a lawyer is litigator, especially a lawyer who specializes in civil cases. Less commonly, litigator can also be used as a synonym for litigant.The process of engaging in a legal proceeding is called litigation. To be in litigation typically means to be engaged in a civil legal proceeding (as opposed to a criminal one, in which one is said to be on trial).Litigant can also be used as an adjective to describe someone engaged in litigation, but this is much less common than its use as a noun.Example: The litigants have agreed to avoid further litigation and settle out of court.

Etymology

Origin of litigant

1630–40; < Latin lītigant- (stem of lītigāns, present participle of lītigāre to go to law), equivalent to līt- (stem of līs ) a lawsuit + -ig- (combining form of agere to carry on) + -ant- -ant

Related Words

• adversary
• aspirant
• candidate
• challenger
• competitor
• enemy
• foe
• opposition
• player
• rival