2030-03-28 ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด I – Impeach

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Dictionary.com

ออกเสียง Impeach = ‘im-PEECH’

 

Dictionary of Problem Words and Expression

Impeach

This word means “to accuse” (especially an official), 

“to bring charges against,” 

“to change the credibility of someone,” 

“to call to account.”

Impeach comes from a Latin term meaning “to trap,” 

and contrary to widespread opinion, 

does not mean “to convict,” “to find guilty.” 

President Andrew Johnson was Impeached; 

that is, charges were brought by the House of Representatives, 

but he was not convicted (found guilty) by the Senate.

 

To Impeach is to indict, not to convict.

Impeachment is followed by a trial 

to determine guilt or innocence.

 

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language

im·peach′a·bil′i·ty n.

im·peach′er n.

im·peach′ment n.

Usage Note: 

When an irate citizen demands that 

a disfavored public official be impeached, 

the citizen clearly intends for the official 

to be removed from office.

 

This popular use of impeach as a synonym of "throw out" 

(even if by due process) does not accord with 

the legal meaning of the word. 

 

When a public official is impeached, that is, 

formally accused of wrongdoing, 

this is only the start of what can be a lengthy process 

that may or may not lead to the official's removal from office.

 

In strict usage, an official is impeached 

(accused), tried, and then convicted or acquitted. 

 

The vaguer use of impeach reflects 

disgruntled citizens' indifference to 

whether the official is forced from office by legal means 

or chooses to resign to avoid further disgrace.

 

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary,

im•peach′er, n.

usage: 

The correct legal sense of impeach refers only to 

the bringing of formal charges against an official.

 

Since the purpose of impeachment 

is the removal from office of an official 

who has engaged in misconduct, 

 

many people focus on the intended result 

and use impeach to mean 

“to remove (a public official) from office.” 

This sense is likely to cause confusion, 

and people should be aware of the word's proper legal meaning.

 

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Frequently Asked Questions About impeach

 

Are presidents removed from office when they are impeached?

Not necessarily. 

In the United States a president is impeached 

by the members of the House of Representatives.

 

Once this body has drawn up charges 

and had them approved by a majority of House members, 

the Senate holds a trial. 

 

If a two-thirds majority of the Senate votes to convict 

then the president may be removed from office.

 

Which presidents were impeached?

Three Presidents of the United States have been impeached: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump.

 

Can people other than the President be impeached?

Impeachment procedures vary from country to country, 

but the United States Constitution states that 

"The President, Vice President and all Civil Officers 

of the United States, shall be 

removed from Office on Impeachment for, 

and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, 

or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." 

 

A wide range of officials 

(including judges, presidents, and senators) 

have been impeached in the U.S.

 

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Testimonial evidence indicates that references to 

(and calls for) “impeaching” a public official 

are commonly understood to refer not simply 

to charging that official with misconduct 

“before a competent tribunal,” 

but to actually removing the official from office. 

 

The interpretation is understandable 

if not legally accurate, 

since removal from office is typically 

the goal of impeachment, 

and there seems to be little doubt that 

the “remove” sense is what many people have in mind 

when they think or talk about impeaching 

a president, governor, judge, or other official. 

 

But clear examples of impeach 

being used to mean “remove” 

in published sources are rarely seen 

(in many contexts, the meaning is ambiguous), 

and when such use does occur, 

it is likely to be cited as an error.

 

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

2019 Word of the Year-Runner-up-Impeach

As we looked back on the quickly receding year of 2019, 

the runner-up that stood out among all the others 

was clear to our editors: impeach.

 

The word had its biggest spike in lookups 

after we'd announced our words for the year, 

when the U.S. House of Representatives 

approved two articles of impeachment 

against President Donald Trump on December 18th. 

 

That largest spike followed what had already been a 129% increase in look-ups over the previous year.

 

Impeach is defined in several ways, 

including “to charge with a crime or misdemeanor” 

and “to cast doubt on.” 

 

The former of these carries the additional specific meaning of 

“to charge (a public official) before a competent tribunal 

with misconduct in office”; 

the latter is often narrowed as well, 

with the meaning “to challenge the credibility or validity of.” 

 

Although frequently thought of 

as meaning "to remove from office," 

 

impeach has a precise legal use in cases such as this, 

in which the action 

describes a step in removing an official from office, 

but does not refer to the removal itself.

 

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Impeach (word of the year 2019)

It’s no surprise that impeach is among the top words of 2019, 

with the largest single spike following 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 

announcement of an impeachment inquiry on September 24th. 

Overall, the word had a 129% increase in look-ups over last year.

 

Impeach is defined in several ways, 

including “to charge with a crime or misdemeanor” 

and “to cast doubt on.” 

 

The former of these carries the additional specific meaning 

of “to charge (a public official) 

before a competent tribunal with misconduct in office”; 

 

the latter is often narrowed as well, with the meaning 

“to challenge the credibility or validity of.”

Although frequently thought of as meaning 

"to remove from office," 

 

impeach has a precise legal use in cases such as this, 

in which the action describes a step 

in removing an official from office, 

but does not refer to the removal itself.

 

Impeach came to English from the French word empecher 

("to impede"), itself from the Latin word impedicare ("to fetter")

—which is also the root of the English word impede.

 

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

'Impeach'

There were a number of other words spiking 

in look-ups last week due to the impeachment investigation into (and subsequent impeachment of) President Trump.

Unsurprisingly, impeach was among these.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday impeached President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, making him the third president in history to be charged with committing high crimes and misdemeanors and face removal by the Senate.
— Nicholas Fandos and Michael D. Shear, The New York Times, 18 Dec. 2019

 

There are a number of possible meanings 

to the word impeach, which has been in use in English 

since the middle of the 16th century. 

The citation above, which obviously distinguishes 

between being impeached and being removed from office, 

nicely illustrates the sense of the word 

that is most relevant of late: 

“to charge with a crime or misdemeanor; 

 

specifically, to charge (a public official) 

before a competent tribunal with misconduct in office.” 

While impeach has been used over the centuries 

to refer to removing a person from office,

that sense is inapplicable to the U. S. government. 

Presidents (and other officials) must be tried and convicted 

subsequent to being impeached before removal can occur.