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Indictment
A formal charge or accusation that a person has committed a crime, typically issued by a prosecutor or grand jury and used to begin a criminal case.
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Imagine This
Imagine a courtroom where a prosecutor unfurls a parchment labeled 'Indictment' listing specific charges, such as fraud or embezzlement; this document signals the start of a trial, not a verdict.
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Sounds Like
in-DYET-ment (IPA: ɪnˈdaɪt.mənt)
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Looks Like
Looks like indict + ment; contains the root 'dict' (to say) and the suffix -ment indicating the action or process.
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Remember This
An indictment is a formal accusation, not a finding of guilt. In the U.S., many felonies require a grand jury indictment, while some cases proceed by an information issued by a prosecutor.
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Other Forms
indictverb
indictableadjective
indictedadjective
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Connect With
charge, accusation, prosecution, grand jury, information, arraignment, verdict, acquittal
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Note
Do not confuse indictment with conviction. Also note the adjective 'indictable' describes offenses that can be indicted; the indictment follows investigation, not a guilty verdict.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The grand jury returned an indictment charging the former official with fraud.
- After months of investigation, prosecutors obtained an indictment for bribery.
Synonyms
chargeaccusationformal accusationcriminal charge
Antonyms
acquittalexonerationdismissal
Etymology
From Old French enditement (via Latin indictimentum), from indictare 'to declare formally', from dicere 'to say'.
Mnemonic
IN-DICT-MENT: The 'dict' root means to say. An indictment is the act in which the government says (dict) formal charges against someone, written in a document.
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Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Absurdity
nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).
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