complain

Meaning

  1. (intransitive) To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment.
  2. (intransitive) To make a formal accusation or bring a formal charge.
  3. To creak or squeak, as a timber or wheel.

Frequency

B2
Pronounced as (IPA)
/kəmˈpleɪn/
Etymology

In summary

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.

Notes

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