Complaint
/kəmˈpleɪnt/noun
A statement expressing dissatisfaction or grievance.
Did you know?Complaint comes through Old French from Latin *complangere*, meaning to ‘beat the breast’ or lament loudly in mourning, so the word began as grief made physical.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kleng-
“to resound, clang, or cry out”
Latin
Latin
plangere
“to beat, strike, or lament by beating the breast”
Latin
Latin
complangere
“to bewail, lament deeply”
Old French
Old French
complaindre
“to lament, bewail”
Middle English
English
complaint
“lamentation or expression of grief”
Modern English
English
complaint
“an expression of dissatisfaction or grievance”