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 or a plea), 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.

4. (transitive) To discuss by arguments.

Related terms

• plea
• pleasant
• please
• pleasurable
• pleasure

Translations

to present an argument

• Armenian: միջնորդել (hy) (miǰnordel), հայտարարություն անել (haytararutʻyun anel), պաշտպանել (hy) (paštpanel)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 辩护 (zh) (biànhù)

• 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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) (yāngqiú)

• Czech: plédovat impf, žádat (cs) impf, prosit (cs) impf, naléhat
• German: (dringend) bitten, anflehen (de), beschwören (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἰκετεύω (iketeúō)

• Maori: unene, whakakuene
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Old Saxon: ābiddian
• 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, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “plead”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “plead”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• padel, padle, paled, pedal