▪ I. impeach, v.
(ɪmˈpiːtʃ)
Forms: α. 4–6 en-, empeche, 5–7 empeach. β. 5 enpesshe, enpesche, empeshe, 5–6 empesshe, -pesche, -peasche. γ. 6 impeche, impeache, 6– impeach. δ. 6 impesche, impeshe, (ympes(c)he), 7 impeash. ε. 6 Sc. empash, impash(e, impatshe, 6–7 em-, impasche, impass.
[ME. em-, enpechen, later empesche, a. OF. empechier, empeechier, empescher, mod.F. empêcher (13th c. empecier, 12th c. (pple.) empedicad = Pr. empedegar):—late L. impedicā-re to catch, entangle (Ammianus), f. im- (im-1) + pedica fetter, f. pēs, ped-em foot. In senses 4 and 5 treated as the representative of L. impetĕre. Cf. impeachment.
The forms empash, impashe may be due to F. empacher (cf. Pr. empaichar); impatshe reflects It. impacciare; for the origin of the radicals of these forms, see dispatch v. (Impeach in Eng. displaced appeach v., q.v. Cf. peach v.)]
A. Illustration of Forms.
| α c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 294 Þat wickid men..þere schullen dwelle in seyntewarie, and no man empeche hem bi processe of lawe. 1387–8, 1432–50 Enpeche [see B. 4]. 1494 Fabyan Chron. vii. ccxxxiii. 267 Y{supt} warke was for y{supt} tyme empeached and let. 1550 J. Coke Eng. & Fr. Heralds (1877) §153 You enpeche the welth of marchaundise. 1562 J. Shute Cambine's Turk. Wars 9 b, Waiting continually to empeche him. 1650 tr. Bacon's Hist. Life & Death 51 That they might be (the Intention not at all empeached) both Safe and Effectual. |
| β c 1474 Caxton Chesse lf. 5 a, Bodyly sight enpessheth and letteth..the knowleche of subtyll thinges. c 1477 ― Jason 49 The first man that..shold empesshe him of the royame of Mirmidone. 1483 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton) v. i. 92 b, Ther is nothyng that may therof enpeschen hym. 1530 Palsgr. 531/2, I empesshe or let one of his purpose. 1549 Empesche [see B. 1]. |
| γ 1533–4 Act 25 Hen. VIII, c. 9 §6 Any person..whiche shall be impeched to haue offended contrarie to the forme and effecte of this estatute. 1536 Act 27 Hen. VIII, c. 42 Any suche ordynaunce..as myght by annye meane hynder thadvauncement..of the..Worde of God..or impeache the knowlege of suche other good letters. 1577–87 Holinshed Chron. III. 963/1 Minded to impeach their passage. 1600, etc. [see B. 3]. |
| δ 1548–67 Thomas Ital. Dict., Impedire, to let or impeshe. 1549 Compl. Scot. xv. 130 Mony dificil impedimentis..maye impesche hym. 1567 Fenton Trag. Disc. 14 He went about to ympeshe his expedition. 1624 in Sir. R. Gordon Hist. Earls Sutherland (1813) 381 We will forbear to impeash your ma{supt}{supi}⊇ any further. |
| ε 1538 Impatshe [see B. 1 b]. 1566 Painter Pal. Pleas. 34 b, They were not able..to impache his corps, in tombe fast closed and buried. 1597 Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 808 Thy foly..Empashed him to pow. 1597 Lowe Chirurg. (1634) 124 To anoint..with the milke of a bitch which impasseth it to grow white. 1604 Crt. Bk. Barony of Uric (1892) 7 The Lard being impaschit throw thair dalie complenttis. |
B. Signification.
† 1. trans. To impede, hinder, prevent. Obs.
| c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 317 He schal dwelle þere alle his lif, and no man enpeche hym. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. ccliii, They drad..that he wold have enpesshed that delyveraunce. 1533 Bellenden Livy iv. (1822) 320 The consulis, seand the tribunis impesche every thing that thay desirit afore the senate. 1549 Compl. Scot. vi. 56 The..eird empeschis the soune to gyf lycht to the mune. 1577–87 Holinshed Scot. Chron. (1805) II. 256 To impeach the Englishmen from setting on land any vittles there. a 1649 Drummond of Hawthornden Hist. Jas. I Wks. (1711) 11 It hath been your valour..which heretofore empeached our conquest and progress in France. 1690 Leybourn Curs. Math. 586 A Ditch, of sufficient..breadth, and depth, to impeach the Assaults of an Enemy. |
† b. refl. (= OF. s'empêcher, It. impacciarsi). To embarrass or trouble oneself. Obs.
| 1484 Caxton Curiall 1 By thexample of me that empesshe my selue for to serue in the Courte Ryall. 1538 in Strype Eccl. Mem. (1721) I. xl. 313 Pole said he should do well not to impatshe himself with reading of the story of Nicolo Machavello. |
† c. To hinder access to; to blockade. Obs.
| 1586 Ld. Burghley in Leycester Corr. (Camden) 360 Flie⁓boates..are fittest to impeche thos kind of havens. |
† 2. To hinder the action, progress, or well-being of; to affect detrimentally or prejudicially; to hurt, harm, injure, endamage, impair. Obs.
| 1563 Bp. Sandys in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. II. 195 To preserve my honestie from malice whiche mynded to impeache yt. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 391 They did empeche the honor of the kinges person. 1604 T. Wright Passions i. iii. 12 The coldnesse of the water, earth, and ayre much impeacheth the vertue of his heate. 1691 E. Taylor Behmen's Theos. Philos. xvii. 25 Anything that might tend to impeach his perfection. |
3. To challenge, call in question, cast an imputation upon, attack; to discredit, disparage.
| 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. ii. i. 214 You doe impeach your modesty too much To leave the Citty, and commit your selfe Into the hands of one that loues you not. 1600 J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa ii. 42 Neither am I ignorant, how much mine owne credit is impeached. 1612 T. Taylor Comm. Titus i. 6 Because their name and honour was impeached. 1743 Fielding Conversation Wks. 1784 IX. 364 It would by no means impeach the general rule. 1767 Blackstone Comm. II. xxx. 444 A contract for any valuable consideration, as for marriage, for money, for work done,..can never be impeached at law. 1888 A. K. Green Behind Closed Doors iv, My daughter's happiness is threatened and her character impeached. |
4. gen. To bring a charge or accusation against; to accuse of, charge with.
| c 1380 [see A. α]. 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love i. vi. (Skeat) l. 86 Whiche thing..I am bolde to mayntaine, and namely in distroiyng of a wrong, al shulde I therthrough enpeche myne owne frere, if he wer gilty. 1428 Surtees Misc. (1888) 3 He was empeched of forgeyng of fals osmundes. 1432–50 tr. Higden (Rolls) VII. 530 Godwyn was enpeched [L. inculpatus] for he had gadered so grete an oost. 1590 Eng. Romayne Life in Harl. Misc. (Malh.) II. 167 Nothing..that might impeach me either with error or vntrueth. 1648 Art. Peace §18 in Milton's Wks., That no Person..be troubled, impeached, sued, inquieted or molested, for..any offence..comprised within the said Act. 1794 Godwin Cal. Williams 216 Go to the next justice of the peace and impeach us. 1840 Dickens Old C. Shop lviii, Fearing every moment to hear the marchioness impeached. |
b. Sometimes in restricted sense (see quot. 1617): To give accusatory evidence against; to ‘peach’ upon. (In quot. 1820 absol. To ‘peach’.)
| 1617 Minsheu Duct. Ling., To Impeach, or accuse one guiltie of the same crime whereof he which impeacheth is accused. 1676 Wycherley Pl. Dealer v. i, Like a Thief, because you know your self most guilty, you impeach your Fellow Criminals first. 1701 Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) V. 59 A person, lately accused for robbing on the highway and acquitted, has impeach't 13 of his gang. 1731 Fielding Letter writer ii. ix, Would it not be your wisest way to impeach your companions? 1820 G. Watson Taylor Profligate iv. i, The whole plot is laid open. Mr. Allcourt has impeached. |
c. To find fault with (a thing), to censure.
| 1813 Scott Trierm. iii. xxxviii, And so fair the slumberer seems, That De Vaux impeach'd his dreams. 1872 Browning Fifine lxxxv, Do you approve, not foolishly impeach The falsehood! 1876 Geo. Eliot Dan. Der. v. xxxvi, Grandcourt's appearance..was not impeached with foreignness. |
5. spec. To accuse of treason or other high crime or misdemeanour (usually against the state) before a competent tribunal: see impeachment 5.
| 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 353 Whether the Lordes and commons might without the kings will empeche the same officers and justices upon their offenses in the parliament or not. 1647 Clarendon Hist. Reb. iii. §10 Mr. Pym at the bar [of the house of peers], and in the name of all the commons of England, impeached Thomas earl of Strafford..of high treason, and several other heinous crimes and misdemeanours. 1769 Blackstone Comm. IV. xix. 261 The representatives of the people, or House of Commons, cannot properly judge; because their constituents are the parties injured; and can therefore only impeach. 1863 H. Cox Instit. i. x. 229 Latimer was impeached and accused by the voice of the Commons. 1868 Trial Andrew Johnson 3 On Monday, February the 24th, 1868, the House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States resolved to impeach Andrew Johson, President of the United States, of high crimes and misdemeanors. 1883 G. T. Curtis Buchanan II. xii. 247 In regard to the President, it was their duty to make a specific charge, to investigate it openly, and to impeach him before the Senate, if the evidence afforded reasonable ground to believe that the charge could be substantiated. |
b. Applied to analogous judicial processes, e.g. the prosecution of state officials by the tribunes of ancient Rome.
| 1734 tr. Rollin's Anc. Hist. (1827) I. 353 Mago on his arrival at Carthage was impeached. 1838 Arnold Hist. Rome (1846)I. xiii. 231 One of the tribunes impeached him before the assembly of the tribes. 1840 Thirlwall Greece VIII. 329 At Athens after his departure he was formally impeached and condemned to death. |
Hence imˈpeached ppl. a., imˈpeaching vbl. n.
| c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) ix. 34 He myght seurly dwell in þat citee withouten empeching of any man. 1632 Lithgow Trav. v. 179 The chiefe obstacle, and impeaching of so great an Army from taking it. 1751 Earl of Orrery Remarks Swift (1752) 60 The four impeached lords. 1827 Hallam Const. Hist. (1876) III. xvi. 234 A charge against the impeached lords. |
▪ II. impeach, n.
(ɪmˈpiːtʃ)
[f. prec. vb.]
† 1. Hindrance, impediment, prevention. Obs.
| 1511 in Tytler Hist. Scot. (1864) III. 385 The old worn pelt..who presently reigneth alone, and governeth without empeasche. 1605 P. Woodhouse Flea (1877) 18 Without all interrupting or impeach. 1611 Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. vii. iv. §3. 205 These..got the..command of military affayres without impeach. |
† 2. Injury, damage, detriment. Obs.
| 1575 Gascoigne Hearbes Wks. (1587) 149 So farre thou mayst set out thy selfe without empeach or crime. 1586 Bright Melanch. x. 47 The soul receiueth..no impeach, or impayre of cunning. 1625 tr. Boccaccio's Decam. II. 156 Without any impeach or blemish to his honor. |
3. Challenge, calling in question; accusation, charge, impeachment.
| 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. v. i. 269 Why what an intricate impeach is this? 1591 Troub. Raigne K. John ii. (1611) 85 What kindship, lenitie, or Christian raigne, Rules in the man to beare this foul impeach? 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, i. iv. 60 It is Warres prize, to take all Vantages, And tenne to one, is no impeach of Valour. 1885 Sat. Rev. 14 Feb. 205/1 The delightful intricacy of this impeach..is highly characteristic. |