Etymology of the English word complain
the English word
complainderived from the Old French word
complaindrederived from the Vulgar Latin word
complangerederived from the Latin word
plangere (strike, beat; bewail)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*plak-derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*plāk-using the Latin prefix
con- (together)
derived from the Latin prefix
com-derived from the Latin word
cum (with)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*kom (near, with, together)
Date
The earliest known usage of complain in English dates from the 14th century.
Derivations in English
complained,
complainingUsage
Word found in Modern English
