Remonstrate is a verb that means to say or plead in protest.

The Latin verb monstrare (mon STAR ay) means ‘to show.’ After drifting into the English language, our word of the day added the prefix R-E, meaning ‘in reference to’ or ‘about.’ To remonstrate an argument means to plead ‘in reference to it — or, more specifically — against it. For example: A trip the beach in Duluth, Minnesota was a bad idea for our Spring break. I felt compelled to remonstrate by stomping my feet immediately.