litigate

C1 Topic:Law & Government

US /ˈlɪtɪˌɡeɪt/ UK /ˈlɪtɪɡeɪt/ See IPA manual

verb

Meanings

1

verb
to take a dispute to a court of law for resolution

The company decided to litigate the matter rather than settle out of court.
2

verb
to engage in legal proceedings or a lawsuit

They are prepared to litigate if necessary to protect their rights.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to take a dispute to a... suetake to courtprosecutebring a casego to law

2 verb · to engage in legal... challenge contest dispute argue

Opposites

settle reconcile

Etymology

From Latin litis ("lawsuit") + agere ("to drive, to do"), giving litigare ("to dispute, to sue"); via Old French and Middle English litigaten into Modern English litigate ("to engage in legal proceedings").

Topics

Law & Government Word Formation & Derivatives

# litigate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** ˈlɪtɪˌɡeɪt
**IPA (UK):** ˈlɪtɪɡeɪt

## Meanings
1. to take a dispute to a court of law for resolution
2. to engage in legal proceedings or a lawsuit

## Examples
- The company decided to litigate the matter rather than settle out of court.
- They are prepared to litigate if necessary to protect their rights.

## Synonyms
- sue
- take to court
- prosecute
- bring a case
- go to law
- challenge
- contest
- dispute

## Antonyms
- settle
- reconcile

## Etymology
From Latin litis ("lawsuit") + agere ("to drive, to do"), giving litigare ("to dispute, to sue"); via Old French and Middle English litigaten into Modern English litigate ("to engage in legal proceedings").

## AI Etymology
Litigate comes from Latin litis ("lawsuit") + agere ("to drive, to do"), giving litigare ("to dispute, to sue"); via Old French and Middle English litigaten into Modern English litigate ("to engage in legal proceedings"). In current use it is a verb meaning "to take a dispute to a court of law for resolution". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning.

## Topics
- Law & Government
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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litigate

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