Advertisement

complaint (n.)

late 14c., "lamentation, expression of grief," also "grief, sorrow, anguish" itself; also "expression of dissatisfaction or disapproval; statement of grievances, formal accusation; a plaintive poem," from Old French complainte (12c.) "complaint, lament," noun use of fem. past participle of complaindre "to lament" (see complain). Meaning "that which is complained of" is from 1745; specific meaning "bodily ailment, cause of pain or uneasiness" is from 1705 (often in U.S. colloquial use generalized as complaints).

Others are reading

Advertisement
Definitions of complaint from WordNet

complaint (n.)
an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining;
Synonyms: ailment / ill
complaint (n.)
(formerly) a loud cry (or repeated cries) of pain or rage or sorrow;
complaint (n.)
an expression of grievance or resentment;
complaint (n.)
(civil law) the first pleading of the plaintiff setting out the facts on which the claim for relief is based;
complaint (n.)
(criminal law) a pleading describing some wrong or offense;
Synonyms: charge
From wordnet.princeton.edu