Sue
nounEtymology Clipping.
1
Informal Synonym of Mary Sue (“type of character in fiction”).
sue
verbalso spelled Sue/sjuː/ · /suː/
Etymology From Middle English seuen, sewen, siwen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman suer, siwer et al. and Old French sivre (“to follow after”) (modern French suivre), from Vulgar Latin *sequere (“to follow”), from Latin sequi. Cognate with Italian seguire and Spanish seguir. Doublet of segue. Related to suit.
1
To file a legal action against someone, generally a non-criminal (civil) action.
- sue someone for selling a faulty product
- I plan to sue you for everything you have.
1 more example
- He was sued by the late Geo. Walpole Leake for slander, and after two trials, occupying eight days, he was mulcted in heavy damages and costs.1897, Warren Bert Kimberly, “W. Horgan”, in History of West Australia:
2
Ambitransitive To seek by request; to make application; to petition; to entreat; to plead.
- The king of Bimsa sued for peace after Nynal's armies overran his territory; he knew any further resistance would only harm the common people.
5
Obsolete To court.
6
Obsolete To follow.
- And the olde knyght seyde unto the yonge knyght, ‘Sir, swith me.’1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum iv”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book XIII, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC:
- though oft looking backward, well she vewd, / Her selfe freed from that foster insolent, / And that it was a knight, which now her sewd, / Yet she no lesse the knight feard, then that villein rude.1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC: