Other forms: litigations
Litigation is the whole process of fighting a case in court. Costly litigation, years of litigation, threaten litigation.
It covers everything from the first letter to the judgment, and most of it never reaches a hearing — the great majority of civil claims settle. It is expensive and slow, which is why the threat of litigation does more work than the thing itself. Note litigant, the party bringing or defending; litigious, meaning too ready to sue; and that litigation is civil, while prosecution is criminal.
1nounlitigationThe whole process of fighting a case in court.
“The company wanted to avoid expensive litigation, so it settled out of court.”
litigation is a legal process.
Latin litigatio comes from litigare, to dispute — lis, a lawsuit, plus agere, to drive. The same agere gives agent, act and agenda.
Latin
lītigātiō
English, today
litigation
Latin lītigātiō, equivalent to litigate + -ion.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA