plead

plead

English

Etymology

From 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”).

Pronunciation

Present tense, infinitive

• IPA^(key): /ˈpliːd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːd

Past tense

• IPA^(key): /ˈpliːdəd/
• IPA^(key): /plɛd/ (both pled and plead)

Verb

plead (third-person singular simple present pleads, present participle pleading, simple past and past participle (North America, England, legal) pleaded or (North America, Scotland) pled or (North America) plead)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To present (an argument), especially in a legal case.

   The defendant has decided to plead not guilty.

   • Bible, Job xvi. 21

     O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!

2. (intransitive) To beg, beseech, or implore.

   He pleaded with me not to leave the house.

3. (transitive) To offer by way of excuse.

   Not wishing to attend the banquet, I pleaded illness.

Related terms

• plea
• pleasant
• please
• pleasurable
• pleasure

Translations

to present an argument

Armenian: միջնորդել (hy) (miǰnordel), հայտարարություն անել (haytararutʿyun anel), պաշտպանել (hy) (paštpanel) Chinese: Mandarin: 辩护 (zh) Czech: přednášet (před soudem) impf, vést obhajobu impf Dutch: pleiten (nl), bepleiten (nl) Esperanto: pledi French: plaider (fr) Georgian: please add this translation if you can German: plädieren (de), bekennen (de) (reflexive), berufen (de) (reflexive, + auf), eintreten (de)(+ für), aussprechen (de) (reflexive, + für)

Italian: dichiararsi (it) (colpevole o noncolpevole) Japanese: 嘆願する (たんがんする, tangan suru) Portuguese: alegar (pt) Romanian: pleda (ro) Russian: защища́ть (ru) (zaščiščátʹ) (for somebody - кого-либо), представля́ть интере́сы (predstavljátʹ interésy), выступа́ть с заявле́нием (в суде́) (vystupátʹ s zajavlénijem (v sudé)) Scottish Gaelic: tagair Slovene: pledirati, zagovarjati se Thai: please add this translation if you can Turkish: açıklamak (tr), ileri sürmek (tr)

to beg

Chinese: Mandarin: 央求 (zh) Czech: plédovat impf, žádat (cs) impf, prosit (cs) impf, naléhat German: (dringend) bitten, anflehen (de), beschwören (de) Greek: Ancient: ἰκετεύω (iketeúō) Maori: unene, whakakuene

Polish: błagać (pl) Portuguese: implorar (pt) Romanian: implora (ro) Spanish: rogar (es) Tagalog: maki-usap Turkish: yalvarmak (tr)

Further reading

• plead in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• plead in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• plead at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• padel, padle, paled, pedal