impeach

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.

---

[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.]

---

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."

---

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"

---

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

---

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, aankla يَتَّهِم شَخْصِيَّة رسميَّه بإساءة استِعْمال السُّلْطَه поставям под съмнение obvinit ze zločinu stille for rigsret (wegen Hochverrat) anklagen κατηγορώ κπ. για αδίκημα κατά του κράτους acusar; procesar süüdistama به دادگاه کشاندن؛ استیضاح کردن syyttää mettre en accusation (en vue de destituer) לְהַתְחִיל בְּהֲלִיך הַדָחָה महाभियोग लगाना okriviti, optužiti felelősségre von mendakwa ákæra; kæra fyrir embættisbrot incriminare 弾劾する 탄핵하다 apkaltinti nusikaltimu valstybei, paskelbti apkaltą apsūdzēt (noziegumā pret valsti) mendakwa beschuldigen anklage (for høyforræderi), stille for riksrett postawić w stan oskarżenia impugnar a pune sub acuzare (în vederea destituirii) обвинять (государственное лицо) obviniť (zo zločinu), obžalovať, spochybniť obtožiti zlorabe položaja optužiti anklaga กล่าวโทษเนื่องจากประพฤติตนไม่เหมาะสมกับตำแหน่งหน้าที่ suçlamak 控告 висувати обвинувачення у державному злочині ریاست کے خلاف جرم کا الزام لگانا buộc tội 控告，检举

n imˈpeachment

beskuldiging, aanklag مُحاكَمَة أو إتهام رئيس الجمهوريَّه дискредитиране obvinění ze zločinu rigsretssag die Anklage (wegen Hochverrats) παραπομπή σε δίκη acusación; proceso ametialane süüdistus اعلام جرم؛ خلع مقام virkasyyte mise en accusation (en vue d'une destitution) הֲלִיך הַדָחָה महाभियोग optužba vád alá helyezés pendakwaan ákæra, lögsókn incriminazione 弾劾 탄핵 apkalta apsūdzība (noziegumā pret valsti) pendakwaan beschuldiging forræderisak, riksrett postawienie w stan oskarżenia impugnação punere sub acuzare (în vederea destituirii) импичмент obvinenie zo zločinu javna obtožba optužba anklagelse การฟ้องร้อง (ทางกฎหมาย) suçlama 控告 імпічмент تعزیری کارروائی sự buộc tội 控告