/pliːd/, /plɛd/
OriginFrom Middle English pleden, plaiden, from Old French plaider (“to plead, offer a plea”), from plait, from Medieval Latin placitum (“a decree, sentence, suit, plea, etc.", in Classical Latin, "an opinion, determination, prescription, order; literally, that which is pleasing, pleasure”), neuter of placitus, past participle of placeō (“to please”). Cognate with Spanish pleitear (“to litigate, take to court”).
- ambitransitive, copulativeTo present (an argument or a plea), especially in a legal case.
“The defendant has decided to plead not guilty.”
“O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!”
“At the High Court in Aberdeen in September, NR pleaded guilty to a series of failings, including failing to tell the driver that it was unsafe to drive the train at the 75mph line speed.”
- intransitiveTo beg, beseech, or implore, especially emotionally.
“He pleaded with me not to leave the house.”
“He was pleading for mercy.”
- transitiveTo offer by way of excuse.
“Not wishing to attend the banquet, I pleaded illness.”
“It is no defence to plead that you were only obeying orders.”
“From there Prince Rupert, the Royalist general and nephew of Charles I, demanded over £2,000 from the mayor of Leicester to pay the king's forces who were camped around Queniborough. The mayor, howeve”
- transitiveTo discuss by arguments.
Formspleads(present, singular, third-person) · pleading(participle, present) · pleaded(participle, past) · pleaded(past) · pled(Canada, Scotland, US, participle, past) · pled(Canada, Scotland, US, past) · plead(participle, past) · plead(past)