impeach (redirected from Impeachments)

im·peach  (m-pch)

tr.v. im·peached, im·peach·ing, im·peach·es

1.

a. To make an accusation against.

b. To charge (a public official) with improper conduct in office before a proper tribunal.

2. To challenge the validity of; try to discredit: impeach a witness's credibility.

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[Middle English empechen, to impede, accuse, from Anglo-Norman empecher, from Late Latin impedicre, to entangle : Latin in-, in; see in-² + Latin pedica, fetter; see ped- in Indo-European roots.]

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im·peacher n.

im·peachment n.

Usage Note: When an irate citizen demands that a disfavored public official be impeached, the citizen clearly intends for the official to be removed from office. This popular use of impeach as a synonym of "throw out" (even if by due process) does not accord with the legal meaning of the word. As recent history has shown, when a public official is impeached, that is, formally accused of wrongdoing, this is only the start of what can be a lengthy process that may or may not lead to the official's removal from office. In strict usage, an official is impeached (accused), tried, and then convicted or acquitted. The vaguer use of impeach reflects disgruntled citizens' indifference to whether the official is forced from office by legal means or chooses to resign to avoid further disgrace.

Word History: Nothing hobbles a President so much as impeachment, and there is an etymological as well as a procedural reason for this. The word impeach can be traced back through Anglo-Norman empecher to Late Latin impedicre, "to catch, entangle," from Latin pedica, "fetter for the ankle, snare." Thus we find that Middle English empechen, the ancestor of our word, means such things as "to cause to get stuck fast," "hinder or impede," "interfere with," and "criticize unfavorably." A legal sense of empechen is first recorded in 1384. This sense, which had previously developed in Old French, was "to accuse, bring charges against."

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impeach

Verb

1. Chiefly US to charge (a public official) with an offence committed in office

2. Brit & Austral criminal law to accuse of treason or serious crime

3. to challenge or question (a person's honesty or honour) [Late Latin impedicare to entangle]

impeachable adj
impeachment n

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	impeach - challenge the honesty or veracity of; "the lawyers tried to impeach the credibility of the witnesses" challenge - issue a challenge to; "Fischer challenged Spassky to a match"
	2.	impeach - charge (a public official) with an offense or misdemeanor committed while in office; "The President was impeached" lodge, file, charge - file a formal charge against; "The suspect was charged with murdering his wife"
	3.	impeach - bring an accusation against; level a charge against; "The neighbors accused the man of spousal abuse" accuse, criminate, incriminate reproach, upbraid - express criticism towards; "The president reproached the general for his irresponsible behavior" accuse, charge - blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against; "he charged the director with indifference" arraign - accuse of a wrong or an inadequacy recriminate - return an accusation against someone or engage in mutual accusations; charge in return lodge, file, charge - file a formal charge against; "The suspect was charged with murdering his wife"

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impeach

verb charge, accuse, prosecute, blame, denounce, indict, censure, bring to trial, arraign

Translations

impeach [ɪmˈpiːtʃ] vt → accuser, attaquer [+ public official]; mettre en accusation

impeach [ɪmˈpiːtʃ] vt → anklagen;

(public official) → eines Amtsvergehens anklagen

impeach [ɪmˈpiːtʃ] vt → accusare, attaccare [+ public official]; mettere sotto accusa

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impeach

v impeach [imˈpiːtʃ]

to accuse of a crime, especially to accuse a person who works for the government of a crime against the State. beskuldig, aanklaيَتَّهِم شَخْصِيَّة رسميَّه بإساءة استِعْمال السُّلْطَهпоставям под съмнениеobvinit ze zločinustille for rigsret(wegen Hochverrat) anklagenκατηγορώ κπ. για αδίκημα κατά του κράτουςacusar; procesarsüüdistamaبه دادگاه کشاندن؛ استیضاح کردنsyyttäämettre en accusation (en vue de destituer)לְהַתְחִיל בְּהֲלִיך הַדָחָהमहाभियोग लगानाokriviti, optužitifelelősségre vonmendakwaákæra; kæra fyrir embættisbrotincriminare弾劾する탄핵하다apkaltinti nusikaltimu valstybei, paskelbti apkaltąapsūdzēt (noziegumā pret valsti)mendakwabeschuldigenanklage (for høyforræderi), stille for riksrettpostawić w stan oskarżeniaimpugnara pune sub acuzare (în vederea destituirii)обвинять (государственное лицо)obviniť (zo zločinu), obžalovať, spochybniťobtožiti zlorabe položajaoptužitianklagaกล่าวโทษเนื่องจากประพฤติตนไม่เหมาะสมกับตำแหน่งหน้าที่suçlamak控告висувати обвинувачення у державному злочиніریاست کے خلاف جرم کا الزام لگاناbuộc tội控告，检举

n imˈpeachment

beskuldiging, aanklagمُحاكَمَة أو إتهام رئيس الجمهوريَّهдискредитиранеobvinění ze zločinurigsretssagdie Anklage (wegen Hochverrats)παραπομπή σε δίκηacusación; procesoametialane süüdistusاعلام جرم؛ خلع مقامvirkasyytemise en accusation (en vue d'une destitution)הֲלִיך הַדָחָהमहाभियोगoptužbavád alá helyezéspendakwaanákæra, lögsóknincriminazione弾劾탄핵apkaltaapsūdzība (noziegumā pret valsti)pendakwaanbeschuldigingforræderisak, riksrettpostawienie w stan oskarżeniaimpugnaçãopunere sub acuzare (în vederea destituirii)импичментobvinenie zo zločinujavna obtožbaoptužbaanklagelseการฟ้องร้อง (ทางกฎหมาย)suçlama控告імпічментتعزیری کارروائیsự buộc tội控告