Plaintiveness

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Plaintive \Plain"tive\, a. [F. plaintif. See {Plaintiff}, n.]
     1. Repining; complaining; lamenting. --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Expressive of sorrow or melancholy; mournful; sad. "The
        most plaintive ditty." --Landor.


        [1913 Webster] -- {Plain"tive*ly}, adv. --
        {Plain"tive*ness}, n.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  plaintiveness
       n : expressing sorrowfulness