Litigation
Etymology
From Latin “litigare” (to dispute, quarrel, or go to law), a fusion of “lis/litis” (a lawsuit or quarrel) and “agere” (to drive, do, or carry on) — the same “agere” behind “agent” and “agenda.” To litigate is to carry on a quarrel by the machinery of law.
noun · /lit-uh-GAY-shun/
The process of resolving a dispute by taking it through the court system.
What it names
The formal, adversarial, often expensive route to settling a conflict — reach for it when you want to signal that a disagreement has become a full legal contest, not just a negotiation.
Example
Both companies spent more on years of litigation than the patent itself was ever worth.
Related idea
Contrast the two ways out of a dispute: litigation fights it out through the courts with a judge deciding, whereas mediation uses a neutral third party to help the sides reach their own agreement.