impeachment

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Hindrance; impediment; obstruction.
2. n. A calling in question; accusation of wrong or error; disparagement: as, an impeachment of one's motives or conduct, or of the credibility of a witness.
3. n. A calling to account; arraignment; the act of charging with a crime or misdemeanor; specifically, the exhibition of charges of mal-administration against a high public officer before a competent tribunal. In the United States, the House of Representatives has the sole power of impeachment of the President, Vice-President, and all civil officers of the United States; the Senate has the sole power to try all impeachments, the Chief Justice presiding at the trial of a President; and a two-thirds vote is necessary for conviction. In the case of State officers, there is generally a similar division of functions between the upper and the lower branch of the legislature. In the history of the federal government there have been seven cases of impeachment, the most famous being that of President Johnson in 1868. In only two cases, both of district judges, was a verdict of guilty given. In Great Britain, impeachments are made in the House of Commons and tried by the House of Lords. Prominent impeachments in English history were those of Lord Bacon and Warren Hastings.

Wiktionary

1. n. The act of impeaching a public official, either elected or appointed, before a tribunal charged with determining the facts of the matter
2. n. the state of being impeached
3. n. a demonstration, in a court of law, or before other finder of fact, that a witness was ingenious before and therefore is less likely to tell the truth now

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. Hindrance; impediment; obstruction.
2. n. A calling to account; arraignment; especially, of a public officer for maladministration.
3. n. A calling in question as to purity of motives, rectitude of conduct, credibility, etc.; accusation; reproach.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a formal document charging a public official with misconduct in office