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arraignment

 - 3 dictionary results

ar⋅raign⋅ment

  [uh-reyn-muhnt]
Use arraignment in a Sentence
–noun
1. an act of arraigning or the state of being arraigned.
2. a calling into question or a finding fault, esp. with respect to the value or virtue of something; critical examination.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME arainement < MF araisnement. See arraign, -ment
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ar·raign   (ə-rān')   
tr.v.   ar·raigned, ar·raign·ing, ar·raigns

  1. Law To call (an accused person) before a court to answer the charge made against him or her by indictment, information, or complaint.

  2. To call to account; accuse: "Johnson arraigned the modern politics of this country as entirely devoid of all principle" (James Boswell).


[Middle English arreinen, from Old French araisnier, from Vulgar Latin *adratiōnāre, to call to account : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin ratiō, ratiōn-, account; see reason.]
ar·raign'er n., ar·raign'ment n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

arraignment

in Anglo-American law, first encounter of an accused person with the court prior to trial, wherein he is brought to the bar and the charges against him are read. The accused usually enters a plea of guilt or innocence. If he chooses not to plead, a plea of not guilty will be entered for him. A guilty plea will usually result in the case's being handed over for judgment. Sometimes the court will permit a guilty plea to be withdrawn.

Learn more about arraignment with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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