Plight Definition

plīt
plights
noun
plights
A condition or state of affairs; esp., now, an awkward, sad, or dangerous situation.
Webster's New World
A pledge.
Webster's New World

(now chiefly dialectal) Responsibility for ensuing consequences; risk; danger; peril.

Wiktionary

(now chiefly dialectal) Blame; culpability; fault; wrong-doing; sin; crime.

Wiktionary

(now chiefly dialectal) One's office; duty; charge.

Wiktionary
Antonyms:
verb
To pledge or promise, or bind by a pledge.
Webster's New World
To give or pledge (one's word or oath, for example).
American Heritage

Specifically, to pledge (one's troth etc.) as part of a marriage ceremony.

Wiktionary

(reflexive) To promise (oneself) to someone, or to do something.

Wiktionary
(obsolete) To weave; to braid; to fold; to plait.
Wiktionary
idiom
plight (one's) troth
  • To become engaged to marry.
  • To give one's solemn oath.
American Heritage
plight one's troth
  • to pledge one's truth, or one's word
  • to make a promise of marriage
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Plight

Noun

Singular:
plight
Plural:
plights

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Plight

  • plight (one's) troth
  • plight one's troth

Origin of Plight

  • From Middle English plight (“risk, danger"), from Old English pliht (“peril, risk, danger, damage, plight"), from Proto-Germanic *plihtiz (“care, responsibility, duty"). A suffixed form of the root represented by Old English pleoh (“risk, danger, hurt, peril"; also "responsibility") and plÄ“on (“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"). More at pledge.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English plit (“fold, wrinkle, bad situation"), conflation of Middle English pliht, plight (“risky promise, peril") (from Old English pliht "danger, risk") and Anglo-Norman plit, plyte (“fold, condition"), from Old French pleit (“condition, manner of folding") (from Vulgar Latin *plictum, from Latin plicitum (“fold")).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English alteration (influenced by plight risky promise or pledge) of plit fold, wrinkle, situation from Anglo-Norman from Latin plicitum neuter past participle of plicāre to fold plek- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Middle English plighten from Old English plihtan to endanger, put at risk from pliht danger, risk dlegh- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Through Old French, from Latin plectare. German flechten (“to plait") and Danish flette are probably unrelated.

    From Wiktionary

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to plight using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

plight