名詞 plea:

1. a humble request for help from someone in authority
   同義詞：supplication
2. (law) a defendant's answer by a factual matter (as distinguished from a demurrer)
3. an answer indicating why a suit should be dismissed

1. An earnest request or petition; a plea.
   迫切要求或懇求; 請求
2. He did not attend the dinner; his plea was that he was too busy to come.
   他沒有參加那次宴會，借口是他太忙不能來。
3. She made an impassioned plea for justice.
   她激昂地抗辯，懇求獲得公正。
4. The accused entered a plea of "not guilty".
   被告作了“無罪”的抗辯。

plea

n.（名詞）
An earnest request; an appeal:
懇求：熱切的請求；呼吁：
例句：
spoke out in a plea for greater tolerance.
喊出來懇求更大的寬容

An excuse; a pretext:
借口；托辭：
例句：
.necessity,/The Tyrant`s plea.(John Milton)
.需要，暴君的借口.(約翰·米爾頓)

Law
【法律】
An allegation offered in pleading a case.
請愿：為案件辯護時提出的辯解
A defendant`s answer to the declaration made by the plaintiff in a civil action.
申訴：民事訴訟中被告對原告所做的陳述狀的回答
The answer of the accused to a criminal charge or indictment:
抗辯：被告對刑事指控或起訴的回答：
例句：
entered a plea of not guilty.
提出無罪的答辯

A special answer depending on or demonstrating one or more reasons why a suit should be delayed, dismissed, or barred in equity law.
答辯：依據(jù)或表明公正的法律案件應(yīng)被推遲、駁回或阻止的一個或多個原因的特定的回答
An action or a suit.
訴訟或訴訟案

來源：
Middle English plai [lawsuit]
中古英語 plai [訴訟]
from Old French plai, plaid
源自 古法語 plai, plaid
from Late Latin placitum [decree]
源自 后期拉丁語 placitum [法令]
from Latin [from neuter past participle of] placôre [to please] * see pl3k-
源自 拉丁語 [] 源自placôre的中性過去分詞 [使?jié)M意] *參見 pl3k-