How to pronounce plight
American English pronunciation
PLYTE
- IPA
- /ˈplaɪt/
- Syllables
- PLYTE (1 syllable)
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What plight means
A bad situation that is hard to get out of
In a sentence: The kids read about the plight of the stranded whale and raised money to help.
Where it comes from: It comes from two old words that got mixed together: one meaning "danger" and one meaning "a fold" or "a condition."
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Another meaning
To promise solemnly, as in giving your word
In a sentence: The knight knelt to plight his word that he would guard the bridge.
Where it comes from: It comes from the Old English pliht, meaning risk or danger, since a promise put something at stake. The bad-situation meaning also comes partly from this word.
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