indictment

• endictment

18th-century Latinized respelling of Middle English endytement (“action of accusing”), from Anglo-Norman enditement, from enditer, from Late Latin indictāre, from Latin indictus.

• (US) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈdaɪt.mənt/

• Audio (US)

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indictment (countable and uncountable, plural indictments)

1. (law) An official formal accusation for a criminal offence, or the process by which it is brought to a jury. [from 14th c.]
2. (law) The official legal document outlining the charges concerned; bill of indictment. [from 16th c.]
   • 2023 March 30, William K. Rashbaum, “This is what will happen when Trump is arrested in the coming days.”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     […] — the indictment will remain sealed until his expected arraignment on Tuesday, when the charges will be formally revealed.

3. (countable, uncountable) An accusation of wrongdoing; a criticism or condemnation. [from 19th c.]
   • 1910, Emma Goldman, “Patriotism: A Menace to Liberty”, in Anarchism and Other Essays‎:

     Can there be a greater indictment against patriotism than that it will thus brand a man a criminal, throw him into prison, and rob him of the results of fifteen years of faithful service?

   • 2023 July 26, Christian Wolmar, “Closing ticket offices to lead to 'catch-22' for passengers”, in RAIL, number 988, page 42:

     I have been critical of the RDG in the past for merely being a cypher for government announcements, but the failure of its members to make a stand on this issue and not be complicit in the Government's subterfuge is a shocking indictment of their failure to protect the industry.

4. Evidence of failure or poor performance.

   an indictment of his ability to lead

   an indictment of his game

• arraignment
• grand jury
• plea, pleading

• indictment on Wikipedia.Wikipedia