425: Please and Pleas Feb 6, 2016

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'Please' is a verb and exclamation, but the closest nounal form is 'plea' which is still a different word. 'Please' comes from Old French 'plaisir' which meant the same as the verb now, which ultimately comes from Latin. 'Plea' on the other hand in Middle English was mostly used to mean ‘lawsuit’, which comes from plait, plaid in Old French meaning ‘agreement, discussion,’ which itself is from the Latin 'placitum' meaning ‘a decree'. That word importantly however comes from the verb 'placere' meaning ‘to please’.

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