Plea bargain
Etymology
“Plea” comes from Old French “plait/plaid” (a lawsuit or plea), from Latin “placitum” — literally “that which pleases,” a decree, from “placere” (to please), the same root as “please” and “pleasant.” “Bargain” is Old French “bargaignier” (to haggle). The phrase itself is a 20th-century American coinage for a now-dominant practice.
noun phrase · /PLEE BAR-gin/
A deal in which a defendant pleads guilty, usually to a lesser charge, in exchange for a lighter sentence.
What it names
The reason the vast majority of criminal cases never see a trial — reach for it to explain how the system actually resolves guilt, by negotiation rather than by jury.
Example
Facing a possible ten-year sentence, she took a plea bargain and served eighteen months instead.
Related idea
A defendant’s plea is simply the answer of guilty or not guilty; a plea bargain is the negotiated deal that produces a guilty plea in exchange for leniency.