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plea
7 dictionary results for: Plea
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
plea 
[plee] Pronunciation Key
[plee] Pronunciation Key –noun
—Idiom
| 1. | an appeal or entreaty: a plea for mercy. |
| 2. | something that is alleged, urged, or pleaded in defense or justification. |
| 3. | an excuse; pretext: He begged off on the plea that his car wasn't working. |
| 4. | Law.
|
| 5. | cop a plea, Slang. cop1 (def. 5b). |
[Origin: 1175–1225; ME ple, earlier plaid < OF < early ML placitum law-court, suit, decision, decree, L: opinion (lit., that which is pleasing or agreeable), n. use of neut. of ptp. of placére to please]
] —Synonyms 1. request, petition, supplication, solicitation, suit. 3. justification.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| plea
(plē) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Middle English plai, lawsuit, from Old French plai, plaid, from Late Latin placitum, decree, from Latin, from neuter past participle of placēre, to please; see plāk-1 in Indo-European roots.] |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
plea
plea
c.1215, "lawsuit," from Anglo-Fr. plai (c.1170), O.Fr. plait "lawsuit, decision, decree" (842), from M.L. placitum "lawsuit," in classical L., "opinion, decree," lit. "that which pleases, thing which is agreed upon," properly neut. pp. of placere (see please). Sense development seems to be from "something pleasant," to "something that pleases both sides," to "something that has been decided." Meaning "a pleading, an agreement in a suit" is attested from c.1381. Plea bargaining is first attested 1963. Common pleas (c.1215) originally were legal proceedings over which the Crown did not claim exclusive jurisdiction (as distinct from pleas of the Crown); later "actions brought by one subject against another."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| plea | |
noun | |
| 1. | a humble request for help from someone in authority [syn: supplication] |
| 2. | (law) a defendant's answer by a factual matter (as distinguished from a demurrer) |
| 3. | an answer indicating why a suit should be dismissed |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: plea
Pronunciation: 'plE
Function: noun
Etymology: Anglo-French plei plai legal action, trial, from Old French plait plaid, from Medieval Latin placitum, from Latin, decision, decree, from neuter of placitus, past participle of placEre to please, be decided
1 a : an allegation of fact in civil litigation made in response to a claim —compare DEMURRER b : a defendant's answer to a plaintiff's claim in civil litigation
NOTE: Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and in states where they have been adopted, civil pleas are abolished, and answers and motions are used instead. Such pleas were used at common law.
dil·a·to·ry plea
/'di-l&-"tOr-E-/
: a common-law plea which is intended to defeat the pending action or proceeding without involving any decision on the merits of the case
plea in abatement
: a plea entered by a party seeking postponement or dismissal of an action by setting forth some matter or defect regarding procedure, jurisdiction, or timing called also plea of abatement
plea in bar
: a plea that alleges the existence of an absolute bar (as a statute of limitations) to an action
plea of abatement
: PLEA IN ABATEMENT in this entry
2 a : an accused party's answer to a criminal charge or indictment b : a plea of guilty
3 : an earnest entreaty
Main Entry: plea
Pronunciation: 'plE
Function: noun
Etymology: Anglo-French plei plai legal action, trial, from Old French plait plaid, from Medieval Latin placitum, from Latin, decision, decree, from neuter of placitus, past participle of placEre to please, be decided
1 a : an allegation of fact in civil litigation made in response to a claim —compare DEMURRER b : a defendant's answer to a plaintiff's claim in civil litigation
NOTE: Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and in states where they have been adopted, civil pleas are abolished, and answers and motions are used instead. Such pleas were used at common law.
dil·a·to·ry plea
/'di-l&-"tOr-E-/
: a common-law plea which is intended to defeat the pending action or proceeding without involving any decision on the merits of the case
plea in abatement
: a plea entered by a party seeking postponement or dismissal of an action by setting forth some matter or defect regarding procedure, jurisdiction, or timing called also plea of abatement
plea in bar
: a plea that alleges the existence of an absolute bar (as a statute of limitations) to an action
plea of abatement
: PLEA IN ABATEMENT in this entry
2 a : an accused party's answer to a criminal charge or indictment b : a plea of guilty
3 : an earnest entreaty
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Plea
Plea\, n. [OE. plee, plai, plait, fr. OF. plait, plaid, plet, LL. placitum judgment, decision, assembly, court, fr. L. placitum that which is pleasing, an opinion, sentiment, from placere to please. See Please, and cf. Placit, Plead.]1. (Law) That which is alleged by a party in support of his cause; in a stricter sense, an allegation of fact in a cause, as distinguished from a demurrer; in a still more limited sense, and in modern practice, the defendant's answer to the plaintiff's declaration and demand. That which the plaintiff alleges in his declaration is answered and repelled or justified by the defendant's plea. In chancery practice, a plea is a special answer showing or relying upon one or more things as a cause why the suit should be either dismissed, delayed, or barred. In criminal practice, the plea is the defendant's formal answer to the indictment or information presented against him. 2. (Law) A cause in court; a lawsuit; as, the Court of Common Pleas. See under Common. The Supreme Judicial Court shall have cognizance of pleas real, personal, and mixed. --Laws of Massachusetts. 3. That which is alleged or pleaded, in defense or in justification; an excuse; an apology. "Necessity, the tyrant's plea." --Milton. No plea must serve; 't is cruelty to spare. --Denham. 4. An urgent prayer or entreaty. Pleas of the crown (Eng. Law), criminal actions.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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