Plead

How to spell plead

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce plead

What does plead mean?

1. verbTo make an earnest, emotional request or appeal to someone.
2. verbTo formally state a position or answer to a charge in a court of law.

Plead in a sentence

• The charity continued to plead for donations after the flood.

• The defendant chose to plead not guilty at the hearing.

• She would plead with her manager for one more day of leave.

• His lawyer advised him to plead guilty to the lesser charge.

Where does plead come from?

Language of origin: French

This word came into English in the 1200s from Old French plaidier, meaning 'to argue a case in court', and the related noun plaid or plait, meaning 'a lawsuit' or 'an argument'. Behind the French lay the Latin placitum, literally 'that which is pleasing' or 'a decree', which was the past participle of placere, 'to please'. The legal sense came first in English: to plead was to formally argue or present one's side before a court. From that courtroom origin the softer, everyday meaning grew, namely to beg or appeal earnestly, since pleading a case and pleading for mercy are close cousins. The same Latin placere root that gave us plead also lies behind 'please' and 'pleasant', so the spelling with the calm 'ea' actually preserves a family of words about pleasing and persuading.

How the word is built

• plead (from Old French plaid, a plea or lawsuit, ultimately from Latin placitum, an opinion or decree)