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Answer
The legal definition of this term is somewhat broader than its dictionary definition. Essentially, it is a plea, or response to a legal complaint.
The complaint is basically a written accusation of wrongdoing or injury. This must be "served" to the defendant - meaning that an officer or representative of the court or the plaintiff must physically place an envelope containing the written complaint into the defendant's hands.
Once the defendant has been served, s/he has several choices, all of which must be made within a specific period of time (typically 10 - 30 days, depending on state statutes). The defendant must present a typewritten response in which s/he (A) denies the allegation(s), (B) denying the allegation(s), or (C) admitting to some aspects of the allegations and denying others.
If the defendant has some legal savvy or ready access to legal counsel, s/he may present what are called affirmative defenses. These are allegations which may contradict those presented in the complaint, and/or make use of legal theories such as contributory negligence, which puts some responsibility back onto the plaintiff.
The defendant may also choose to answer in the form of a "general denial" - in other words, deny everything.
Regardless of which form the answer takes, if it is not filed within the required period of time, the judge may rule summarily in favor of the defendant (this is called a default judgment). It is also important to understand that if the complaint is verified as under penalty of perjury,
the answer must be as well.
Filing an answer to a complaint can be expensive, as each defendant is charged a filing fee. These fees tend to be high; when served with a complaint, it is wise to seek professional legal counsel at the earliest opportunity.