IMPEACHING
Verb
impeaching
present participle of impeach
Source: Wiktionary
IMPEACH
Im*peach", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Impeached; p. pr. & vb. n.
Impeaching.] Etym: [OE. empeechier to prevent, hinder, bar, F.
empĂŞcher, L. impedicare to entangle; pref. im- in + pedica fetter,
fr. pes, pedis, foot. See Foot, and Appeach, Dispatch, Impede.]
1. To hinder; to impede; to prevent. [Obs.]
These ungracious practices of his sons did impeach his journey to the
Holy Land. Sir J. Davies.
A defluxion on my throat impeached my utterance. Howell.
2. To charge with a crime or misdemeanor; to accuse; especially to
charge (a public officer), before a competent tribunal, with
misbehavior in office; to cite before a tribunal for judgement of
official misconduct; to arraign; as, to impeach a judge. See
Impeachment.
3. Hence, to charge with impropriety; to dishonor; to bring discredit
on; to call in question; as, to impeach one's motives or conduct.
And doth impeach the freedom of the state. Shak.
4. (Law)
Definition: To challenge or discredit the credibility of, as of a witness,
or the validity of, as of commercial paper.
Note: When used in law with reference to a witness, the term
signifies, to discredit, to show or prove unreliable or unworthy of
belief; when used in reference to the credit of witness, the term
denotes, to impair, to lessen, to disparage, to destroy. The credit
of a witness may be impeached by showing that he has made statements
out of court contradictory to what he swears at the trial, or by
showing that his reputation for veracity is bad, etc.
Syn.
– To accuse; arraign; censure; criminate; indict; impair;
disparage; discredit. See Accuse.
Im*peach", n.
Definition: Hindrance; impeachment. [Obs.]
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition