CLAIMANT NOUN (PEOPLE AND SOCIETY)

A person claiming a state benefit (especially unemployment benefit). Etymology: A specialized use of the word claimant, which has been used in the more general sense of 'one who makes a claim' since the eighteenth century. History and Usage: The term has been used in official documents since the twenties, but was taken up by the claimants themselves in the seventies as a word offering solidarity; claimants' unions were formed and soon the word started to appear in new contexts such as notices announcing discounts. The administration argues that its tough program--reviewing records of claimants and actually cutting off benefits from persons deemed able to work--stems from a 1980 law. Christian Science Monitor 27 Mar. 1984, p. 17 A new and unneccessary hurdle for the thousands of claimants who have been unfairly thrown off the disability rolls. New York Times 26 Mar. 1986, section A, p. 22 See also unwaged