plight

Etymology 1

From Middle English plit (“fold, wrinkle, bad situation”), conflation of Middle English pliht, plight (“risky promise, peril”) (from Old English pliht "danger, risk") and Anglo-Norman plit, plyte (“fold, condition”), from Old French pleit (“condition, manner of folding”) (from Vulgar Latin *plictum, from Latin plicitum (“fold”)).

noun

1. A dire or unfortunate situation.
   Though we say we are quite clear about it and understand when someone uses the expression, unlike that other expression, maybe we're in the same plight with regard to them both. 2005, Plato, translated by Lesley Brown, Sophist, page 243c
   Gosling's plight worsened when he was soon shown a red card for a foul on Martin. December 10, 2011, Arindam Rej, “Norwich 4-2 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport
   Despite spending £1 billion of its own resources, that balanced budget became impossible and forced TfL to issue a 'Section 114' notice of impending financial plight and go to the government for support. June 17 2020, Philip Haigh, “Capital for the capital to meet London's transport needs”, in Rail, page 28
2. (now rare) A (neutral) condition or state.
3. (obsolete) Good health.

Etymology 2

From Middle English plight (“risk, danger”), from Old English pliht (“peril, risk, danger, damage, plight”), from Proto-West Germanic *plihti (“care, responsibility, duty”). A suffixed form of the root represented by Old English pleoh (“risk, danger, hurt, peril"; also "responsibility”) and plēon (“to endanger, risk”). Akin to Old English plihtan (“to endanger, compromise”). Cognate with Scots plicht (“responsibility, plight”), Dutch plicht, Low German plicht (“duty”), German Pflicht (“duty”), Danish pligt (“duty”), Yiddish פֿליכט (flikht). More at pledge.

noun

1. (now chiefly dialectal) Responsibility for ensuing consequences; risk; danger; peril.
2. (now chiefly dialectal) An instance of danger or peril; a dangerous moment or situation.
3. (now chiefly dialectal) Blame; culpability; fault; wrong-doing; sin; crime.
4. (now chiefly dialectal) One's office; duty; charge.
5. (archaic) That which is exposed to risk; that which is plighted or pledged; security; a gage; a pledge.

verb

1. (transitive, now rare) To expose to risk; to pledge.
2. (transitive) Specifically, to pledge (one's troth etc.) as part of a marriage ceremony.
3. (reflexive) To promise (oneself) to someone, or to do something.
   I ask what I have done to deserve it, one daughter hobnobbing with radicals and the other planning to plight herself to a criminal. 1992, Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety, Harper Perennial, published 2007, page 226

Etymology 3

From Middle English plyghten, plyȝten, pleyȝten, pleiten, pliten, from the noun (see below).

verb

1. (obsolete) To weave; to braid; to fold; to plait.

Etymology 4

From Middle English pliȝt, plight, plyt, pleit, from Anglo-Norman pleit (“pleat, fold”). More at plait.

noun

1. (obsolete) A network; a plait; a fold; rarely a garment.