Impeached

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The formal process of charging a government official with serious misconduct in order to potentially remove them from office involves legislative action and investigation
2. This refers to the legal procedure where an official is accused of wrongdoing, leading to a potential trial or removal from their role
3. The act of formally accusing a government official of misconduct entails a detailed legislative process that may result in their removal from office

Etymology: "Impeached" is the past tense of "impeach," and the verb's original sense had nothing to do with politics. It descends from Latin "impedicāre," meaning "to fetter," literally to bind someone's feet, as with a shackle. Through Old French "empeechier," meaning "to hinder," the idea of tying up or obstructing a person passed into Middle English as "empechen," which meant to hinder, impede or prevent. The legal sense grew out of that notion of obstruction. To impeach someone came to mean calling their conduct into question, so that a public official's actions could be checked and judged. Only later did the word settle into its formal political meaning, in which an official is formally accused of wrongdoing before a body that may remove them from office. The modern sense is a long way from the image of a prisoner in chains, yet the root idea of being held back is still there.

Synonyms: accused, charged

Antonyms: exonerated, absolved