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Webster 1913 Edition

Plight

Plight

,
obs.
imp.
&
p.
p.
of
Plight
, to pledge.
Chaucer.

Plight

,
obs.
imp.
&
p.
p.
of
Pluck
.
Chaucer.

Plight

,
Verb.
T.
[OE.
pliten
; probably through Old French, fr. LL.
plectare
, L.
plectere
. See
Plait
,
Ply
.]
To weave; to braid; to fold; to plait.
[Obs.]
“To sew and plight.”
Chaucer.
A
plighted
garment of divers colors.
Milton.

Plight

,
Noun.
A network; a plait; a fold; rarely a garment.
[Obs.]
“Many a folded plight.”
Spenser.

Plight

,
Noun.
[OE.
pliht
danger, engagement, AS.
pliht
danger, fr.
pleón
to risk; akin to D.
plicht
duty, G.
pflicht
, Dan.
pligt
. √28. Cf.
Play
.]
1.
That which is exposed to risk; that which is plighted or pledged; security; a gage; a pledge.
“That lord whose hand must take my plight.”
Shak.
2.
[Perh. the same word as
plight
a pledge, but at least influenced by OF.
plite
,
pliste
,
ploit
,
ploi
, a condition, state; cf. E.
plight
to fold, and F.
pli
a fold, habit,
plier
to fold, E.
ply
.]
Condition; state; – risk, or exposure to danger, often being implied;
as, a luckless
plight
.
“Your plight is pitied.”
Shak.
To bring our craft all in another
plight
Chaucer.

Plight

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Plighted
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Plighting
.]
[AS.
plihtan
to expose to danger,
pliht
danger;cf. D. ver
plichten
to oblige, engage, impose a duty, G. ver
pflichten
, Sw. för
plikta
, Dan. for
pligte
. See
Plight
,
Noun.
]
1.
To pledge; to give as a pledge for the performance of some act; as, to plight faith, honor, word; – never applied to property or goods.
“ To do them plighte their troth.”
Piers Plowman.
He
plighted
his right hand
Unto another love, and to another land.
Spenser.
Here my inviolable faith I
plight
.
Dryden.
2.
To promise; to engage; to betroth.
Before its setting hour, divide
The bridegroom from the
plighted
bride.
Sir W. Scott.

Webster 1828 Edition

Plight

PLIGHT

,
Verb.
T.
plite. [L. plico; flecto, to bend; ligo. See Alloy and Ply.]
1.
To pledge; to give as security for the performance of some act; but never applied to property or goods. We say, he plighted his hand, his faith, his vows, his honor, his truth or troth. Pledge is applied to property as well as to word, faith, truth, honor, &c. To plight faith is, as it were, to deposit it in pledge for the performance of an act, on the non-performance of which, the pledge is forfeited.
2.
To weave; to braid.
[This is the primary sense of the word, L. plico, but now obsolete.]

PLIGHT

,
Noun.
plite. Literally, a state of being involved, [L. plicatus, implicatus, implicitus;] hence, perplexity, distress, or a distressed state or condition; as a miserable plight. But the word by itself does not ordinarily imply distress. Hence,
1.
Condition; state; and sometimes good case; as, to keep cattle in plight.
In most cases, this word is now accompanied with an adjective which determines its signification; as bad plight; miserable or wretched plight; good plight.
2.
Pledge; gage.
The Lord, whose hand must take my plight.
3.
A fold [L. plica;] a double; a plait.
All in a silken Camus, lily white,
Purfled upon with many a folded plight.
4.
A garment. [Not used.]

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