complain
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Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English complaynen, from Old French complaindre, from Medieval Latin complangere (“to bewail, complain”), from Latin com- (“together”) + plangere (“to strike, beat, as the breast in extreme grief, bewail”); see plain, plaint.
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
complain (third-person singular simple present complains, present participle complaining, simple past and past participle complained)
- (intransitive) To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment.
- Joe was always complaining about the noise made by his neighbours.
- Milton
- O loss of sight, of thee I most complain!
- (intransitive) To make a formal accusation or bring a formal charge.
- They've complained about me to the police again.
- Shakespeare
- Now, Master Shallow, you'll complain of me to the king?
- To creak or squeak, as a timber or wheel.
- the complaining bed-springs
Synonyms[edit]
Translations[edit]
to express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment
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to make a formal accusation or bring a formal charge
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked
Further reading[edit]
- complain in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- complain in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
Anagrams[edit]
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English reporting verbs
