- Plea
- Plea Plea, n. [OE. plee, plai, plait, fr. OF. plait, plaid,
plet, LL. placitum judgment, decision, assembly, court, fr.
L. placitum that which is pleasing, an opinion, sentiment,
from placere to please. See {Please}, and cf. {Placit},
{Plead}.]
1. (Law) That which is alleged by a party in support of his
cause; in a stricter sense, an allegation of fact in a
cause, as distinguished from a demurrer; in a still more
limited sense, and in modern practice, the defendant's
answer to the plaintiff's declaration and demand. That
which the plaintiff alleges in his declaration is answered
and repelled or justified by the defendant's plea. In
chancery practice, a plea is a special answer showing or
relying upon one or more things as a cause why the suit
should be either dismissed, delayed, or barred. In
criminal practice, the plea is the defendant's formal
answer to the indictment or information presented against
him.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Law) A cause in court; a lawsuit; as, the Court of Common Pleas. See under {Common}. [1913 Webster]
The Supreme Judicial Court shall have cognizance of pleas real, personal, and mixed. --Laws of Massachusetts. [1913 Webster]
3. That which is alleged or pleaded, in defense or in justification; an excuse; an apology. ``Necessity, the tyrant's plea.'' --Milton. [1913 Webster]
No plea must serve; 't is cruelty to spare. --Denham. [1913 Webster]
4. An urgent prayer or entreaty. [1913 Webster]
{Pleas of the crown} (Eng. Law), criminal actions. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
