plight

¹

[plahyt]

noun

1. a condition, state, or situation, especially an unfavorable or unfortunate one.

   to find oneself in a sorry plight.

plight

²

[plahyt]

verb (used with object)

1. to pledge (one's troth) in engagement to marry.

2. to bind (someone) by a pledge, especially of marriage.

3. to give in pledge, as one's word, or to pledge, as one's honor.

noun

1. Archaic.,  pledge.

plight

¹

/ plaɪt /

verb

1. to give or pledge (one's word)

   he plighted his word to attempt it

2. to promise formally or pledge (allegiance, support, etc)

   to plight aid

3. 1. to make a promise of marriage

   2. to give one's solemn promise

noun

1. archaic,  a solemn promise, esp of engagement; pledge

plight

²

/ plaɪt /

noun

1. a condition of extreme hardship, danger, etc

Other Word Forms

• plighter noun
• unplighted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of plight¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English plit “fold, condition, bad condition,” from Anglo-French (cognate with Middle French pleit plait ) “fold, manner of folding, condition”; spelling apparently influenced by plight ² in obsolete sense “danger”

Origin of plight²

First recorded before 1000; (noun) Middle English; Old English pliht “danger, risk”; cognate with Dutch plicht, German Pflicht “duty, obligation”; (verb) Middle English plighten, Old English plihtan (derivative of the noun) “to endanger, risk, pledge”; cognate with Old High German phlichten “to engage oneself,” Middle Dutch plihten “to guarantee”

Word History and Origins

Origin of plight¹

Old English pliht peril; related to Old High German, German Pflicht duty

Origin of plight²

C14 plit, from Old French pleit fold, _plait ; probably influenced by Old English pliht peril, _plight ²

Synonym Study

See predicament.

Example Sentences

In the vote-rich city of Maroua on Tuesday he addressed crowds of his party supporters - reaching out in particular to women and young people, promising to prioritise their plight in his next mandate.

Read more on BBC

Somehow, he managed to find some humor in his plight.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

There are elements of outright gruesomeness in “Bring Her Back,” though the best bits are about the plight of Andy and Piper.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

His years in hiding, away from his family, he says, have reminded him of that time, and he blames his plight on some of the other foster parents who stood to benefit from his dismissal.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Leo recalled the photo of Alan Kurdi, the drowned Syrian Kurdish toddler whose body was washed up on a Turkish beach in 2015, and who became a symbol of the plight of migrants.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• condition 
• predicament 
• quandary 
• trouble