(v): request earnestly (something from somebody); ask for aid or protection
(v): offer as an excuse or plea
(v): defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning
(v): enter a plea, as in courts of law
(v): state emphatically and authoritatively
(v): make an allegation in an action or other legal proceeding, especially answer the previous pleading of the other party by denying facts therein stated or by alleging new facts
(v): report or maintain
