Plead, plēd, v.i. to carry on a plea or lawsuit: to argue in support of a cause against another: to seek to persuade: to admit or deny a charge of guilt.—v.t. to discuss by arguments: to allege in pleading or defence: to offer in excuse:—pa.t. and pa.p. plead′ed, or (less correctly and coll.) pled.—adj. Plead′able, capable of being pleaded.—n. Plead′er.—adj. Plead′ing, imploring.—n. act of pleading or of conducting any cause: (pl.) the statements of the two parties in a lawsuit (law).—adv. Plead′ingly.—Plead guilty, or not guilty, to admit, or deny, guilt.—Special pleading, unfair argument aiming rather at victory than at truth. [O. Fr. plaider; cf. Plea.]
Please, plēz, v.t. to give pleasure to: to delight: to satisfy.—v.i. to like: to think fit: to choose: to give pleasure: used impers., followed by an object, originally dative, of the person=if it please you.—n. Pleas′ance, merriment: a pleasure garden.—adj. Pleas′ant, pleasing: agreeable: cheerful: gay: facetious.—adv. Pleas′antly.—ns. Pleas′antness; Pleas′antry, anything that promotes pleasure: merriment: lively or humorous talk: a trick:—pl. Pleas′antries; Please′man (Shak.), an officious fellow, a pick-thank; Pleas′er, one who pleases or gratifies.—adj. Pleas′ing, giving pleasure: agreeable: gratifying.—n. (Shak.) pleasure given: (B.) approbation.—adv. Pleas′ingly.—n. Pleas′ingness, the quality of giving pleasure.—adj. Pleas′urable, able to give pleasure: delightful: gratifying.—n. Pleas′urableness.—adv. Pleas′urably.—n. Pleasure (plezh′ūr), agreeable emotions: gratification of the senses or of the mind: what the will prefers: purpose: command: approbation.—v.t. (arch.) to give pleasure to.—ns. Pleas′ure-boat, a boat used for pleasure or amusement; Pleas′ure-ground, ground laid out in an ornamental manner for pleasure; Pleas′ure-house, a house to which one retires for recreation or pleasure.—adj. Pleas′ureless.—ns. Pleas′urer, one who seeks pleasure; Pleas′ure-trip, an excursion for pleasure.—At pleasure, whenever and as one pleases. [O. Fr. plaisir (Fr. plaire)—L. placēre, to please.]
Pleat, plēt, v.t. Same as Plait.
Plebeian, plē-bē′an, adj. pertaining to, or consisting of, the common people: popular: vulgar.—n. originally one of the common people of ancient Rome: one of the lower classes.—v.t. Plebei′anise.—ns. Plebei′anism, state of being a plebeian: the conduct or manners of plebeians: vulgarity; Plebificā′tion, the act of making plebeian.—v.t. Pleb′ify, to make plebeian: to vulgarise. [Fr. plébéien—L. plebeius—plebs, plebis, the common people.]
Plebiscite, pleb′i-sīt, n. a decree of an entire nation, obtained by an appeal to universal suffrage, as in France under Napoleon III.: a method of obtaining an expression of opinion upon a certain point from the inhabitants of a district—also Plebiscī′tum:—pl. Pleb′iscites, Plebis′cita.—adj. Pleb′iscitary. [Fr.,—L. plebiscitum, decree of the people—plebs, the people, scitum, a decree—scīre, to know.]
Plebs, plebz, n. the common people. [L.]
Plectognathi, plek-tog′nā-thī, n. an order of bony fishes, including file-fishes, globe-fishes, coffer-fishes, sun-fishes.—adjs. Plectognath′ic, Plectog′nathous. [Gr. plectos, plaited, gnathos, a jaw.]
Plectrum, plek′trum, n. the quill or other form of instrument by which the strings of the Greek lyre were struck.—Also Plec′tre, Plec′tron. [L.—Gr.,—plēssein, to strike.]
Pled, pled, pa.t. and pa.p. of plead.
Pledge, plej, n. something given as a security: one who becomes surety for another: a sentiment of goodwill or friendship expressed by drinking together.—v.t. to give as security: to engage for by promise: to invite to drink by partaking of the cup first: to drink to the health of.—ns. Pledgee′, the person to whom a thing is pledged; Pledg′er.—Pledge card, a card given, as a remembrancer, to a person who has signed the total abstinence pledge; Pledge cup, a cup for drinking pledges.—Hold in pledge, to keep as security; Put in pledge, to pawn; Take, or Sign, the pledge, to give a written promise to abstain from intoxicating liquor. [O. Fr. plege (Fr. pleige); prob. L. præbēre, to afford.]