impeachment
n. C / Un. the formal process of accusing a high-ranking government official of a crime. It is the first step toward deciding if they should be removed from their job.
n. the formal process by which a legislative body levels charges against a high-ranking government official for alleged misconduct. It serves as a constitutional mechanism for oversight rather than a criminal conviction itself.
The committee voted to move forward with the impeachment.
The constitution allows for the impeachment of the president if there is evidence of serious crimes or abuse of power.
Legal scholars debated whether the articles of impeachment met the constitutional threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors required for a full trial in the upper house.
From Middle English empechement (“hindrance, impediment, obstacle, obstruction; legal accusation or charge; act of calling into question or discrediting; challenge to a claim or right”), and thence either: * from Middle English empechen, empeschen, empesche, enpechen, impechen (“to cause to get stuck; of a ship: to run aground; to block, obstruct; to hinder, impede; to prevent; to interfere with, harm; to criticize, disparage; to bring charges against; to formally accuse of treason or another high crime”) (from Anglo-Norman empecher, Old French empechier, empeechier) + -ment (suffix forming action nouns, concrete nouns, and nouns indicating a result or a condition or state); or * from Old French empechement, empeechement, empeschement (“obstacle”) (modern French empêchement (“impediment, obstacle”)), from empeechier (“to fetter; to hinder”), empescher (“to inhibit, prevent”) + -ment (suffix forming nouns from verbs). The English word is analysable as impeach + -ment. Old French empechier, empeechier and empescher (compare modern French empêcher) are derived from Late Latin impedicāre (“to catch; to entangle”), present active infinitive of Latin impedicō (“to entangle; to fetter”), from im- (variant of in-) + pedica (“fetter, shackle; snare, trap”) (from pēs (“foot”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ped- (“to step, walk; to fall, stumble”)) + -ō. In senses 1.2 (“accusation that a person has committed a crime”) and 1.3 (“act of impeaching or charging a public official with misconduct”), the word has been used in place of Latin impetere, the present active infinitive of impetō (“to assail, attack, rush upon”).
Often used with the preposition 'of' followed by the official's title.
The president was impeachment yesterday.The president was impeached yesterday.Learners often confuse the noun 'impeachment' with the past participle 'impeached' when describing the action.