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   Plea

   /plē/

   

   noun

   • 1. a request made in an urgent and emotional manner: "he made a dramatic plea for disarmament" Similar appealentreatysupplicationpetitionprayerrequestcallsolicitationinvocationsuitrare:implorationadjuration
   • ▪ a claim that a circumstance means that one should not be blamed for or should not be forced to do something: "her plea of a headache was not entirely false" Similar claimexplanationdefensejustificationvindicationexcusepretext
   • 2. a formal statement by or on behalf of a defendant or prisoner, stating guilt or innocence in response to a charge, offering an allegation of fact, or claiming that a point of law should apply: "he changed his plea to not guilty"

   Word Origin Middle English (in the sense ‘lawsuit’): from Old French plait, plaid ‘agreement, discussion’, from Latin placitum ‘a decree’, neuter past participle of placere ‘to please’.

   Scrabble Points: 6

   • P

     3

   • L

     1

   • E

     1

   • A

     1

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