Meanings
nounplea (plural pleas)
plural pleas
- An excuse; an apology.
Necessity, the tyrant’s plea.
1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC1 more example
No Plea must serve; ’tis cruelty to spare.
1668, Sir John Denham, Poems and Translations with The Sophy, “The Sophy”, Actus Primus, Scena Segunda, page 6 - That which is alleged or pleaded, in defense or in justification.
- lawAn allegation of fact in a cause, as distinguished from a demurrer.
- lawA cause in court; a lawsuit; as, the Court of Common Pleas.
they or any three of them shall be a Court and have cognizance of pleas real, personal, and mixed.
1782, "An Act establishing a Supreme Judicial Court within the Commonwealth", quoted in The Constitutional History of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, Frank Washburn Grinnell, 1917, page 434
verbplea (third-person singular simple present pleas, present participle pleaing, simple past and past participle pleaed)
present singular third person pleas · participle present pleaing · participle past pleaed · past pleaed
- EnglandScotlandregionalTo plead; to argue.First known use 15th c.
With my riches, my unhappiness was increased tenfold; and here, with another great acquisition of property, for which I had pleaed, and which I had gained in a dream, my miseries and difficulties were increasing.
1824, James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
nouna humble request for help from someone in authority
Similar
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Medieval Latinplacitum“a decree, sentence, suit, plea, etc., Latin an opinion, determination, prescription, order; literally, that which is pleasing, pleasure”
- Old Frenchplait
- Middle Englishple
- Englishplea
From Middle English ple, from Old French plait, plaid, from Medieval Latin placitum (“a decree, sentence, suit, plea, etc., Latin an opinion, determination, prescription, order; literally, that which is pleasing, pleasure”), neuter of placitus, past participle of placere (“to please”). Cognate with Spanish pleito (“lawsuit, suit”). Doublet of placit. See also please, pleasure.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian апел, петиция
- апел (apel)appeal, petition, entreaty
- петиция (peticija)appeal, petition, entreaty
- молба (molba)appeal, petition, entreaty
- извинение (izvinenie)excuse
- оправдание (opravdanie)that which is presented in defense or justification
- защитна реч (zaštitna reč)law: defendant's answer to plaintiff’s declaration
Catalan súplica
- súplicaappeal, petition, entreaty
Chinese Mandarin 請求 /请求, 懇求 /恳求
- 請求 /请求 (qǐngqiú)appeal, petition, entreaty
- 懇求 /恳求 (kěnqiú)appeal, petition, entreaty
- 辯解 /辩解 (biànjiě)that which is presented in defense or justification
- 辯護 /辩护 (biànhù)that which is presented in defense or justification
Dutch pleidooi, smeekbede
- pleidooiappeal, petition, entreaty
- smeekbedeappeal, petition, entreaty
- pleidooiexcuse
- pleidooithat which is presented in defense or justification
- pleidooilaw: defendant's answer to plaintiff’s declaration
- zaaklaw: cause in court
- rechtszaaklaw: cause in court
Esperanto pledo
- pledoappeal, petition, entreaty
Finnish vetoomus, anomus
- vetoomusappeal, petition, entreaty
- anomusappeal, petition, entreaty
- selitysexcuse
- tekosyyexcuse
- puolusteluexcuse
- puolustusthat which is presented in defense or justification
- perusteluthat which is presented in defense or justification
- vastinelaw: defendant's answer to plaintiff’s declaration
- vastauslaw: defendant's answer to plaintiff’s declaration
- oikeusjuttulaw: cause in court
French supplication, appel
- supplicationappeal, petition, entreaty
- appelappeal, petition, entreaty
German Ersuchen, Flehen
- Ersuchenappeal, petition, entreaty
- Flehenappeal, petition, entreaty
- Bitteappeal, petition, entreaty
- Appellappeal, petition, entreaty
- Entschuldigungexcuse
- Verteidigungexcuse
- Plädoyerthat which is presented in defense or justification
- Plädoyerlaw: defendant's answer to plaintiff’s declaration
Hindi याचना
- याचना (yācnā)appeal, petition, entreaty
Hungarian kérvény, kérelem
- kérvényappeal, petition, entreaty
- kérelemappeal, petition, entreaty
- folyamodványappeal, petition, entreaty
- előterjesztésappeal, petition, entreaty
- kifogásexcuse
- ürügyexcuse
- mentségexcuse
- védőbeszédthat which is presented in defense or justification
- védelemthat which is presented in defense or justification
Irish pléadáil, pléadáil
- pléadáillaw: that which is alleged by a party in support of his cause
- pléadáillaw: allegation of fact in a cause, as distinguished from a demurrer
- pléadáillaw: defendant's answer to plaintiff’s declaration
Italian appello, petizione
- appelloappeal, petition, entreaty
- petizioneappeal, petition, entreaty
- istanzaappeal, petition, entreaty
- richiestaappeal, petition, entreaty
- domandaappeal, petition, entreaty
- scusaexcuse
- giustificazioneexcuse
- eccezionethat which is presented in defense or justification
- riservathat which is presented in defense or justification
- eccezionelaw: that which is alleged by a party in support of his cause
- obiezionelaw: that which is alleged by a party in support of his cause
Japanese 嘆願, 弁解
- 嘆願 (tangan)appeal, petition, entreaty
- 弁解 (benkai)excuse
Persian تقاضا, دادخواست
- تقاضا (taqâzâ)appeal, petition, entreaty
- دادخواست (dâdxwâst)that which is presented in defense or justification
Portuguese súplica, apelo
- súplicaappeal, petition, entreaty
- apeloappeal, petition, entreaty
- rogoappeal, petition, entreaty
- desculpaexcuse
- desculpathat which is presented in defense or justification
Russian про́сьба, мольба́
- про́сьба (prósʹba)appeal, petition, entreaty
- мольба́ (molʹbá)appeal, petition, entreaty
- проше́ние (prošénije)appeal, petition, entreaty
- призы́в (prizýv)appeal, petition, entreaty
- пети́ция (petícija)appeal, petition, entreaty
- оправда́ние (opravdánije)excuse
- предло́г (predlóg)excuse
- заявле́ние (zajavlénije)that which is presented in defense or justification
- оправда́ние (opravdánije)that which is presented in defense or justification
- иск (isk)law: that which is alleged by a party in support of his cause
- жа́лоба (žáloba)law: that which is alleged by a party in support of his cause
- заявле́ние (zajavlénije)law: defendant's answer to plaintiff’s declaration
Spanish alegato, petición
- alegatoappeal, petition, entreaty
- peticiónappeal, petition, entreaty
- ruegoappeal, petition, entreaty
- justificaciónexcuse
- alegatothat which is presented in defense or justification
- alegatolaw: defendant's answer to plaintiff’s declaration
Swedish svaromål
- svaromållaw: defendant's answer to plaintiff’s declaration
Turkish bahane, mazeret
- bahaneexcuse
- mazeretexcuse
Yiddish בקשה
- בקשה (bakoshe)appeal, petition, entreaty
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with plea
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
plea. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plea
MLA
“plea.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plea. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “plea,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plea.
Source: plea on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.