Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
Art. 5055.Number; Gender
Book IX. Miscellaneous Provisions and Definitions · Title I. Miscellaneous Provisions · Chapter 1. Rules of Construction · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 5055 provides that, unless context clearly indicates otherwise, singular words in the Code of Civil Procedure include the plural and plural words include the singular, and words used in one gender include the others.
Full Text of Art. 5055
(1) Words used in the singular number apply also to the plural; words used in the plural number include the singular; and
(2) Words used in one gender apply also to the others.
Plain-English Summary
Article 5055 supplies a convention familiar from statutory drafting generally: unless the surrounding context clearly indicates otherwise, a word used in the singular also covers the plural, and a word used in the plural also covers the singular. An article that refers to the defendant ordinarily applies just as well to a case with several defendants, without the drafters having to write out both versions every time.
The same rule extends to gender. Where an article uses a masculine, feminine, or otherwise gendered term, that term applies to the others too, unless the context makes clear that only one gender was intended. This lets the Code use natural, readable language in a single article rather than repeating gendered pairings throughout hundreds of articles.
The qualifying phrase, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, does real work here. It keeps this convenience rule from producing an absurd result in the rare article where number or gender is part of what the text means, leaving room for a court to depart from the default reading when the context calls for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
If a Code article refers to "the plaintiff" in the singular, does it also cover multiple plaintiffs?
Generally, yes. Article 5055 provides that singular words include the plural, and plural words include the singular, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Does the Code of Civil Procedure need separate masculine and feminine wording for every article?
No. Article 5055 provides that words used in one gender apply to the others as well, so an article does not need to repeat itself in multiple gendered forms.
Is the number-and-gender rule in Article 5055 absolute?
No. It applies unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, leaving room for a different reading where an article's number or gender limits its meaning.
Why does the Code bother stating a rule this basic?
Because leaving it unstated could invite an argument that a rule written in the singular does not reach a plural situation, or that gendered language excludes everyone else. Article 5055 forecloses that kind of argument.
Source & verification. Article text is reproduced verbatim from
the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure (legis.la.gov). Enacted by the Louisiana Legislature.
Last verified July 30, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: singular includes plural Louisiana statuteArticle 5055 Louisianagender construction Louisiana Code of Civil Procedurenumber and gender statutory interpretationhe or she Louisiana civil procedure rule