plea
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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: "[The] colonel ... hid first behind a stump and then worked his way to the rear on the plea of a sore back" (William Marvel).
3. Law
a. The defendant's answer to a formal criminal charge: entered a plea of not guilty.
b. A defendant's answer in a civil action.
c. A special answer in an equity action, setting forth in lieu of a detailed response a basis for dismissing, delaying, or barring the suit.
d. A legal proceeding.
[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- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
plea
(pliː)n
1. an earnest entreaty or request: a plea for help.
2. (Law)
a. law something alleged or pleaded by or on behalf of a party to legal proceedings in support of his claim or defence
b. criminal law the answer made by an accused to the charge: a plea of guilty.
c. (in Scotland and formerly in England) a suit or action at law
3. an excuse, justification, or pretext: he gave the plea of a previous engagement.
[C13: from Anglo-Norman plai, from Old French plaid lawsuit, from Medieval Latin placitum court order (literally: what is pleasing), from Latin placēre to please]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
plea
(pli)n., pl. pleas.
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.
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. a plea of guilty.
[1175–1225; Middle English ple, earlier plaid < Old French < early Medieval Latin placitum law-court, suit, decision, decree, Latin: opinion (literally, that which is pleasing]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
plea
The answer given by a defendant in a court case to the charge that has been brought.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. |  plea - a humble request for help from someone in authority |
| 2. | plea - (law) a defendant's answer by a factual matter (as distinguished from a demurrer) answer - the principal pleading by the defendant in response to plaintiff's complaint; in criminal law it consists of the defendant's plea of `guilty' or `not guilty' (or nolo contendere); in civil law it must contain denials of all allegations in the plaintiff's complaint that the defendant hopes to controvert and it can contain affirmative defenses or counterclaims counterplea - a plaintiff's reply to a defendant's plea dilatory plea - a plea that delays the action without settling the cause of action; it can challenge the jurisdiction or claim disability of the defendant etc. (such defenses are usually raised in the defendant's answer) insanity plea, plea of insanity - (criminal law) a plea in which the defendant claims innocence due to mental incompetence at the time law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" | |
| 3. | plea - an answer indicating why a suit should be dismissed due process, due process of law - (law) the administration of justice according to established rules and principles; based on the principle that a person cannot be deprived of life or liberty or property without appropriate legal procedures and safeguards trial - (law) the determination of a person's innocence or guilt by due process of law; "he had a fair trial and the jury found him guilty"; "most of these complaints are settled before they go to trial" law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
plea
noun
1. appeal, request, suit, prayer, begging, petition, overture, entreaty, intercession, supplication an impassioned plea to mankind to act to save the planet
2. (Law) suit, cause, action, allegation We will enter a plea of not guilty.
3. excuse, claim, defence, explanation, justification, pretext, vindication, extenuation He murdered his wife, but got off on a plea of insanity.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
plea
noun1. An earnest or urgent request:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
طَلَب مُسْتَعْجَل، إسْتِغاثَهيَرُدُّ على تُهْمَه
naléhavá žádostobhajoba
anmodningappelpåstand
anomusoikeusjuttuperustelupuolustelupuolustus
kérvénykifogásmentségürügyvédőbeszéd
beiîni, tilmælisvar stefnda viî ákæru, málsvörn
aicinājumsatbilde uz apsūdzībulūgums
naliehavá žiadosť
prošnja
âcil yardım çağrısıbeyansavunma
plea
[pliː]A. N
3. (Jur) → alegato m, defensa f
a plea of insanity → un alegato de desequilibrio mental
a plea of guilty/not guilty → una declaración de culpabilidad/inocencia
to enter a plea of innocent → declararse inocente
a plea of insanity → un alegato de desequilibrio mental
a plea of guilty/not guilty → una declaración de culpabilidad/inocencia
to enter a plea of innocent → declararse inocente
B. CPD plea bargaining N (Jur) acuerdo táctico entre fiscal y defensor para agilizar los trámites judiciales
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
plea
[ˈpliː] nCollins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
plea
n
→ Bitte f; (= general appeal) → Appell m; to make a plea for something → zu etw aufrufen; to make a plea for mercy/leniency → um Gnade/Milde bitten
(= excuse) → Begründung f; on the plea of illness/ill health → aus Krankheitsgründen/gesundheitlichen Gründen
(Jur) → Plädoyer nt; to enter a plea of guilty → sich schuldig bekennen; to enter a plea of not guilty → seine Unschuld erklären; to enter a plea of insanity → auf Zurechnungsunfähigkeit plädieren; he put forward or he made a plea of self-defence → er machte Notwehr geltend, er berief sich auf Notwehr
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
plea
[pliː] na. (entreaty, for donations) → appello; (for leniency) → supplica; (excuse) → scusa, pretesto
on the plea of → con la scusa di
on the plea of → con la scusa di
b. (Law) to enter a plea of guilty → dichiararsi colpevole
to put forward a plea of self-defence → invocare la legittima difesa
to put forward a plea of self-defence → invocare la legittima difesa
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
plea
(pliː) noun1. a prisoner's answer to a charge. He made a plea of (not) guilty.
2. an urgent request. The hospital sent out a plea for blood-donors.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.