A plaintiff is a person or party who initiates a legal action by filing a lawsuit in a court of law. This individual seeks a remedy, typically in the form of monetary compensation or a judicial ruling, due to harm or injury caused by the defendant.
The word "plaintiff" comes from the Old French "plainte," meaning "complaint," which is derived from the Latin "plangere," meaning "to lament" or "to strike." The term evolved to refer to the individual making a formal complaint within the context of legal proceedings.