lawsuit
UK/'lɒ:sju:t/US
TOEFL六级B2
释义
n.
A claim or dispute brought to a court of law by one party against another
诉讼；官司
词根拆分
原生英语law（法律）+ suit，这里 suit 取较旧的「法律追诉」义——把一桩纠纷追到法庭。lawsuit 就是这桩民事案件本身。suit「跟随」的本义（来自拉丁 sequī）在这里体现为把事情追到法律裁决。
词根 suit 还连着 7 个词使用指南
- file / bring a lawsuit against someone——提起诉讼
- face / be hit with a lawsuit——成为被告
- settle / drop / win / lose a lawsuit——和解/撤诉/胜诉/败诉
比单用 suit（法律义）更日常；单独的 suit 在这层意思上略显正式或老派。
例句
- 1.
The company filed a lawsuit against its former supplier.
公司对其前供应商提起了诉讼。
- 2.
They settled the lawsuit out of court.
他们庭外和解了这桩官司。
- 3.
He is facing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit.
他正面临一桩数百万美元的诉讼。