an answering plea, as a plaintiff 's response to a defendant's plea
Word origin
[1555–65; counter- + plea]This word is first recorded in the period 1555–65. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: chorus, halo, probe, social, straddlecounter- is a combining form with the meanings “against,” “contrary,” “opposite,” “in oppositionor response to” (countermand); “complementary,” “in reciprocation,” “corresponding,” “parallel” (counterfoil; counterbalance); “substitute,” “duplicate” (counterfeit)