Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “complainant” come from?

Complainant comes from Old French complaignant, derived from Old French complaindre, which developed from Medieval Latin complangere, itself formed from the Latin prefix com- meaning "with" or "together."

complainant (English): The party that brings a civil lawsuit against...

Definitions

  1. The party that brings a civil lawsuit against...

Ancestry of “complainant”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchcomplaignantpresent participle of complaindre
2Old FrenchcomplaindreAlternative form of conplaindre
3Old Frenchconplaindreto complain; to make a complaint
4Medieval Latincomplangereto bewail, complain
5Latincom-allomorph of con-
6Latincon-Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing...
7Latincumwith, along with; at; -fold
8Old LatincomAlternative form of cum
9Proto-Italickomwith, along, at
10Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
11Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
12Middle Englishkyt—
13Germankitt—
14Old High Germankuti—
15Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
16Proto-Germanickweduzresin
17Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak

Words derived from “complainant”

  • countercomplainant
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷet- →