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Definition of plea - 5 dictionary results
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plea

  [plee]
Use plea in a Sentence
–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.
4. 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. cop 1 (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 placēre to please

Synonyms:
1. request, petition, supplication, solicitation, suit. 3. justification.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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plea   (plē)   
n.  

  1. An earnest request; an appeal: spoke out in a plea for greater tolerance.

  2. An excuse; a pretext: "necessity,/The Tyrant's plea" (John Milton).

  3. 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.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

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
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Legal Dictionary

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.
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Idioms & Phrases

plea

see cop a plea.

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