Remontrance

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A strong and earnest protest or objection made to someone in authority
2. An emphatic complaint or expression of disapproval directed at a person of power
3. A vigorous appeal or protest lodged against something deemed wrong or unjust

Etymology: Its root is Latin "monstrare," "to show," which also gave English "demonstrate" and "monster." The "re-" prefix adds the sense of showing something back to someone, or pointing out a fault. Old French turned the Latin into "remonstrance," and the word came to mean a respectful but firm presentation of objections, usually made to someone in authority. That sense of a formal, documented protest gave the Dutch Remonstrants their name. They were a group within the Dutch Reformed Church who set out their theological objections in a written statement presented to the civil authorities. Today the word survives mostly in historical and formal writing, where it still means a reasoned complaint rather than an angry outburst.