plea Hear it!

plea Definition

plea (plē)

noun

  1. a statement in defense or justification; excuse
  2. an earnest and urgent request; appeal; entreaty
  3. Law
    1. a pleading or allegation, now, esp., in a civil action
    2. the response of a defendant to criminal charges a plea of not guilty

Etymology: ME plai < OFr plaid, suit, plea < L placitum, opinion, order, orig. that which is pleasing, orig. neut. pp. of placere, to please

plea Synonyms

plea

n.

  1. An appeal

    overture, request, supplication; see appeal 1.

  2. A form of legal defence

    pleading, argument, case; see defense 3.

plea Law Definition

n

  1. An accused person’s formal reply to a charge in a criminal court, the choices being guilty, not guilty, and nolo contendere (no contest).
  2. An answer in an equity case telling why a suit should be barred, delayed, or dismissed.
  3. A pleading.
affirmative
plea. One intent on establishing a fact not in the bill that, if established, negates the merit of the complainant’s case.
dilatory
plea. One that contests the grounds of a plaintiff’s case, other than its merits, such as wrong jurisdiction, wrong defendant, or other defects in the procedure.
double
plea. One having two or more distinct and independent grounds of complaint for the same issue and requiring each one of those grounds to be answered separately.
peremptory
plea. One directly responding to the particulars of the plaintiff’s charges.
plea in abatement
A dilatory plea objecting to the time, method or place of the plaintiff’s assertion, but not addressing any of that assertion’s underlying merits.
plea Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • ignore: Bouyeri twice ignored pleas for mercy from van Gogh, prosecutors said.
  • enter: None of the defendants were asked to enter a plea at their latest court hearing last Friday.
  • reject: Law Lords reject asylum plea A Ugandan asylum seeker who has HIV has lost her legal challenge against deportation.

Adjective modifier

  • impassioned: The Times & Citizen leads with an impassioned plea from a mother: " Help my little girl.
  • guilty: Fines are reduced in cases where guilty pleas are entered.
  • heartfelt: Neasden resident Sadie McEwan made a heartfelt plea to Cllr John.
  • desperate: THANK YOU MESSAGES RECEIVED BY THE SERVICE Thank you for all the time you took to respond to my desperate plea for help.
  • not-guilty: This is a bit strange considering that very few cases actually get to the stages of not-guilty pleas in the Crown Court.
  • eloquent: Released in the paranoid depths of the Cold War the short film was read as an eloquent plea for peace.

Modifies a noun

  • bargaining: Prime Minister: On plea bargaining, I am not entirely sure of the situation here.
  • bargain: His plea bargain included granting his choice of the judge who would impose his sentence.

Preposition: in

  • mitigation: A song, a smile, a plea in mitigation.

Preposition: of

  • trespass: Westmorland, in a plea of trespass and conspiracy.
  • insanity: At the trial a plea of insanity was put forward.
  • mitigation: If proven the Presiding Officer invites evidence of character & a plea of mitigation from the Accused Friend 10.

Preposition: for

  • clemency: He put in a strong plea for clemency, begging the king to spare the alchemist's life.
  • leniency: Jones pleas for leniency to the Committee for Compounding, but a pardon was only forthcoming in 1646, and his estate restored.
  • mercy: They wanted a reaction from her, be it tears, anger or a plea for mercy.
  • forgiveness: It's also, I hope, a plea for forgiveness.
  • tolerance: More broadly, The Purple Shall Govern is a plea for tolerance.
plea Quotes

This will be the issue of that darling Plea, of being one and not two; it will be turned upon the Scots with a Vengeance; and their 45 Scots Members may dance round to all Eternity, in thisTrap of their own making.

—Fletcher (of Saltoun), Andrew

Just as I am, without one plea But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bid'st me come toThee, O Lamb of God, I come!

—Elliott, Charlotte