plight

Meaning

Noun

1. A dire or unfortunate situation.
2. (archaic) A (neutral) condition or state.
3. (obsolete) Good health.

Verb

1. (archaic, transitive) To expose to risk; to pledge.
2. (transitive) Specifically, to pledge (one's troth etc.) as part of a marriage ceremony.
3. (reflexive) To promise (oneself) to someone, or to do something.

Verb

To weave; to braid; to fold; to plait.

Synonyms

predicament

condition

state

pledge

quandary

promise

engage

fix

troth

situation

betroth

distress

circumstance

betrothal

affiance

engagement

panel

strait

appearance

assure

pickle

guarantee

difficulty

warrant

misfortune

insure

irritation

jeopardy

list

lot

lurch

misery

nature

need

neediness

oath

obligation

peril

perplexity

persuade

pinch

position

protest

puzzle

reassure

risk

sell

shackle

stakes

statement

Translations

embarras

apuro

aprieto

s’engager

situazione difficile

prometer

χάλι

δεσμεύω

promettre

sort

frangente

toestand

destret

tràngol

حالة يائسة

Pronounced as (IPA)

/plaɪt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: plit

Inherited from Middle English: plight

Inherited from Old English: pliht

Cognate with Scots: plicht

Cognate with Dutch: plicht

Cognate with Low German: plicht

Cognate with German: Pflicht

Cognate with Danish: pligt

Cognate with Yiddish: פֿליכט

In summary

From Middle English plit (“fold, wrinkle, bad situation”), conflation of Middle English pliht, plight (“risky promise, peril”) (from Old English pliht "danger, risk"; see Etymology 2) and Anglo-Norman plit, plyte (“fold, condition”), from Old French pleit (“condition, manner of folding”) (from Vulgar Latin *plictum, from Latin plicitum (“fold”)).