"Listen to that plaintive voice in the second violin," I said to a friend while listening to Beethoven. Then it occurred to me--do the good folk at the law firm I'm working with know that word? "Plaintiff" they know, of course, but "plaintive?"
Probably not, I decided, but they--and everybody--should. It means to be sad, mournful, deeply unhappy. Originally from the French, it comes into Middle English and has stayed until today. And yes, it's related to "plaintiff."
And it's one of those words that evokes great feeling. Just like the second violin in the Beethoven quartet!
No comments:
Post a Comment