plea

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“
Accusation of Murder, if the accuser be a Private man, the plea is a

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Definitions (40)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (7)

  1. noun An earnest request; an appeal: spoke out in a plea for greater tolerance.
  2. noun An excuse; a pretext: "necessity,/The Tyrant's plea” (John Milton).
  3. noun Law An allegation offered in pleading a case.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (29)

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Examples (50)

  • She hadn't looked up at Alec when she made her whispered excuse for her father's shameful conduct, but the plea was there, in her husky voice. —  Garwood, Julie - The Bride
  • Even as she begged in her mind, her plea was answered. —  Cheyenne McCray - Spellbound.pdf.htm
  • This plea was admitted, and Sir Philip York, now lord Chancellor, who then presided in that court, dismissed the information, with encomiums upon the purity and excellence of Mr. Savage's writings. —  The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753), Vol. V.
  • But after lengthy legal arguments her plea was accepted by prosecutors. —  Home | Mail Online
  • Chin said he would not sentence Madoff on Thursday, and he would limit investors who want to speak at the hearing to those challenging whether the plea should be accepted or whether Madoff should be allowed to remain on bail pending sentencing. —  Kentucky.com: Homepage
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This word has been looked up 94 times.

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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

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Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

appeal ·  entreaty ·  apology ·  excuse ·  objection ·  declaration ·  wish ·  confession ·  argument ·  prayer ·  protest ·  petition

Used in the same contextWord Family

plea:   pleas
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. 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.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from Middle English plee, ple, play, plait, from Old French plait, plaid, plat, play, plet, plez, French plaid = Provencal plait, plug = Spanish pleilto = Portuguese pleito, preito = Italian piato, from Middle Latin plaritum (also coutr. plactum, placdum, and, after Roman, plaitum), a decree, sentence, suit, plea, etc., L. an opinion, determination, prescription, order, literally ‘that which is pleasing,’ ‘pleasure,’ neuter of placitus, past participle of placere, please: see please, and cf. placit. Hence plead, v.
 

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