What does litigation mean?
Word: Litigation
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Litigation means the process of taking a disagreement to a court of law so that a judge can settle it.
Synonyms: legal action, court case
Word origin: Comes from Latin litigare, 'to dispute in court', from lis, 'a dispute', and agere, 'to drive'.
How do you spell litigation?
Syllables: lit - i - ga - tion
Tricky part: Three of the vowels are i. Students often put an e in the second syllable (litegation) or double the first t.
Watch out for: litegation, littigation, litigetion
Memory tip: Picture three tiny lamps glowing in a row, one over each dot: litigation has three dotted i's and no e at all.
Litigation in a sentence
Example 1: Our housing society wanted to avoid litigation, so the members met to sort out the parking problem.
Example 2: My aunt works on litigation about land records and property.
Example 3: Litigation can be slow and costly, so many people try to settle a disagreement out of court first.
Fun Fact
A person who takes a case to court, or is taken to court, is called a litigant, and a person who goes to court far too often is described as litigious.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to litigation as used in the sentence:
The two companies spent years in litigation over who owned the design of the new scooter.
a) celebration
b) agreement
c) lawsuit
d) advertising
Show answer
c) lawsuit. Years of litigation means years of a case in court, which is a lawsuit; an agreement is what the companies never reached.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. compromize 2. litigation 3. negotiasion 4. agreemant
a) formal discussion aimed at reaching a deal
b) a settlement in which each side gives up something
c) the process of taking a dispute to a court of law
d) an arrangement accepted by everyone involved
Show answer
c) the process of taking a dispute to a court of law. Negotiation is spelt with ti, not si, agreement ends in ment and compromise ends in ise, so only litigation is correct.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The ntiitgaoil between the two publishers over the cover design lasted three years.
a) limitation
b) mitigation
c) litigation
d) irrigation
Show answer
c) litigation. Limitation and mitigation each need an m, and irrigation needs two r's; the jumble has an l and no m or r.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which professional is most closely linked with litigation?
a) a dentist
b) a chef
c) a lawyer
d) a pilot
Show answer
c) a lawyer
2. Choose the way to settle a dispute WITHOUT litigation:
a) a friendly talk between both sides
b) an appeal to a higher court
c) a hearing fixed for next month
d) a case filed before a judge
Show answer
a) a friendly talk between both sides
