impeach
/ɪmˈpit͡ʃ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.10 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To bring a legal proceeding against a public official.
verb
To charge with impropriety; to discredit; to call into question.
verb
To demonstrate in court that a testimony under oath contradicts another testimony from the same person, usually one taken during deposition.
Example Sentences
- "These ungracious practices of his sons did impeach his journey to the Holy Land."
- "I was afraid the same defluxion of Salt Rheum which fell from my Temples into my Throat in Oxford, and distilling upon the Uvula, impeached my Utterance a little to this Day"
- "President Clinton was impeached by the House in November 1998, but since the Senate acquitted him, he was not removed from office."
Etymology
From Middle English empechen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman empecher, from Old French empeechier (“to hinder”), from Latin impedicāre (“to fetter”). Cognate with French empêcher (“to prevent”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: empechen, empecher, empeechier, impedicō
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɪmˈpit͡ʃ/
- British English: /ɪmˈpiːt͡ʃ/