litigate
UK: ˈlɪt.ɪ.ɡeɪt | US: ˈlɪt̬.ə.ɡeɪt
vt. to bring a dispute before a court of law; to contest in legal proceedings
vi. to engage in a lawsuit
litigate = lit<dispute> + ig<do> + ate<verb suffix>
- lit<dispute>: From Latin litigare (to dispute), derived from lis (lawsuit, quarrel).
- ig<do>: A variant of ag (to do, act), from Latin agere (to drive, act).
- ate<verb suffix>: A common English suffix forming verbs, from Latin -atus.
Etymology Origin:
The word litigate traces back to Latin litigare, combining lis (lawsuit) and agere (to act). It originally meant "to carry on a legal dispute." Over time, the term retained its legal connotation in English, narrowing to specifically denote formal court proceedings. The morpheme lit- preserves the idea of conflict, while -ig- (from agere) implies action, reflecting the adversarial nature of litigation.
The company decided to litigate the breach of contract rather than settle out of court.
Individuals may litigate to protect their intellectual property rights.
The case could take years to litigate due to its complexity.
She hired a skilled attorney to litigate the dispute on her behalf.
Many businesses prefer arbitration to avoid the costs of litigating in court.