nolo con·ten·de·re /-kən-'ten-də-rē, -rā/ n [Latin, I do not wish to contend]: a plea by a defendant in a criminal prosecution that without admitting guilt subjects the defendant to conviction as in the case of a guilty plea but that does not bar denial of the truth of the charges in another proceeding (as a civil action based on the same acts) – called also no contest, non vult contendere; compare guilty, not guilty 1
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.