Impeach

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪmˈpiːt͡ʃ/

Definitions

1. To formally accuse a government official of wrongdoing or misconduct in office
2. To bring official charges against a public officer for improper behavior or breach of duty
3. To initiate a legal process to determine whether a public official should be removed for misconduct

Etymology: The modern sense of "impeach", to charge a public official with serious misconduct, is a long way from its original meaning of hindering or obstructing. It descends from Latin "impedicāre", "to fetter", a word built from "in-" and "pedica", a shackle for the feet, which is also related to "pes", foot. The idea was physical restraint: something caught around the feet and stopping your progress. The word reached English in Middle English as "empechen", borrowed through Anglo-Norman "empecher" from Old French "empeechier", where it meant to hinder or prevent. The French descendant "empêcher" still means "to prevent" today, so the two languages have kept the sense of obstruction that the English word later lost. The legal sense grew out of that same notion of blocking. A person who was impeached was, in effect, held back or accused in a way that stopped them from carrying on in office, and the word narrowed to formal accusation of officials. English dropped the older meaning of hindering almost entirely, leaving the public charge as its main use.

Synonyms: accuse, charge, prosecute, indict, denounce

Antonyms: exonerate, absolve, vindicate, clear, acquit