plea - Definitions from Dictionary.com

9 results for: plea

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

plea

–noun

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.

Law.

a.	an allegation made by, or on behalf of, a party to a legal suit, in support of his or her claim or defense.

b.	a defendant's answer to a legal declaration or charge.

c.	(in courts of equity) a plea that admits the truth of the declaration, but alleges special or new matter in avoidance.

d.	Obsolete. a suit or action.

—Idiom

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.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

plea Audio Help (plē) Pronunciation Key
n.

An earnest request; an appeal: spoke out in a plea for greater tolerance.
An excuse; a pretext: "necessity,/The Tyrant's plea" (John Milton).
Law
1. An allegation offered in pleading a case.
2. A defendant's answer to the declaration made by the plaintiff in a civil action.
3. The answer of the accused to a criminal charge or indictment: entered a plea of not guilty.
4. A special answer depending on or demonstrating one or more reasons why a suit should be delayed, dismissed, or barred in equity law.
5. An action or suit.

[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.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
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."

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

American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

plea

see cop a plea.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
plea1 [pliː] noun

a prisoner's answer to a charge
Example: He made a plea of (not) guilty.

Arabic:	يَرُدُّ على تُهْمَه
Chinese (Simplified):	抗辩
Chinese (Traditional):	抗辯
Czech:	obhajoba
Danish:	påstand
Dutch:	pleidooi
Estonian:	kaitseväide
Finnish:	anomus
French:	défense
German:	die Antwort des Angeklagten
Greek:	απάντηση στο κατηγορητήριο
Hungarian:	védekezés
Icelandic:	svar stefnda við ákæru, málsvörn
Indonesian:	pernyataan
Italian:	richiesta, appello

Japanese:	申し立て
Korean:	?법률? 답변, 항변
Latvian:	(apsūdzētā) atbilde uz apsūdzību
Lithuanian:	pareiškimas, paaiškinimas
Norwegian:	påstand
Polish:	odpowiedź na zarzut
Portuguese (Brazil):	contestação, alegação
Portuguese (Portugal):	declaração
Romanian:	pledoarie
Russian:	заявление подсудимого
Slovak:	obhajoba
Slovenian:	zagovor
Spanish:	alegato, declaración
Swedish:	försvar, svaromål
Turkish:	savunma, beyan

plea2 [pliː] noun

an urgent request
Example: The hospital sent out a plea for blood-donors.

Arabic:	طَلَب مُسْتَعْجَل، إسْتِغاثَه
Chinese (Simplified):	恳求
Chinese (Traditional):	懇求
Czech:	naléhavá žádost
Danish:	appel; anmodning
Dutch:	dringend verzoek
Estonian:	palve
Finnish:	vetoomus
French:	appel urgent (à)
German:	dringende Bitte
Greek:	έκκληση
Hungarian:	kérelem
Icelandic:	beiðni, tilmæli
Indonesian:	imbauan
Italian:	richiesta, appello

Japanese:	嘆願
Korean:	간청, 탄원
Latvian:	lūgums; aicinājums
Lithuanian:	prašymas
Norwegian:	bønn, appell
Polish:	apel
Portuguese (Brazil):	apelo
Portuguese (Portugal):	apelo
Romanian:	cerere (urgentă)
Russian:	просьба, призыв
Slovak:	naliehavá žiadosť
Slovenian:	prošnja
Spanish:	petición urgente
Swedish:	vädjan
Turkish:	âcil yardım çağrısı