defense vs plea

defense

noun
  • The case presented by the defendant in a legal proceeding. 

  • Government policy or (infra)structure related to the military. 

  • A strategy and tactics employed to prevent the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense. 

  • The action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury. 

  • The lawyer or team thereof who presents such a case. 

  • The portion of a team dedicated to preventing the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense. 

plea

noun
  • The defendant’s answer to the plaintiff’s declaration and demand. 

  • That which is alleged or pleaded, in defense or in justification. 

  • A cause in court; a lawsuit; as, the Court of Common Pleas. 

  • An appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty. 

  • An allegation of fact in a cause, as distinguished from a demurrer. 

  • An excuse; an apology. 

  • That which is alleged by a party in support of his cause. 

verb
  • To plead; to argue. 

How often have the words defense and plea occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )