English
impeachment
Impeachment comes from Middle English empechement ‘hindrance, impediment, obstacle, obstruction’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ped- ‘to walk, to step’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ped-‘to walk, to step’root as named · steps between not traced
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500empechement‘hindrance, impediment, obstacle, obstruction’
- Englishearliest quotation 1530impeachment
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ped-‘to walk, to step’root as named · steps between not traced
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500empechement‘hindrance, impediment, obstacle, obstruction’
- Englishearliest quotation 1530impeachment
Earliest quotation: 1530, Stephen Gardiner, Edward Foxe: “[…] Nevertheleſs there was no ſo much care, labour,…”
Formed from impeach + -ment
Latin pedis ‘foot’
…
Latin impedicō ‘to fetter’
Old French empeechier ‘to hinder’
Anglo-Norman empecher
Middle English empechen ‘to hinder’
English impeach
The story
The English word is analysable as impeach + -ment. Old French empechier, empeechier and empescher (compare modern French empêcher) are derived from Late Latin impedicāre (‘to catch; to entangle’), present active infinitive of Latin impedicō (‘to entangle; to fetter’), from im- (variant of in-) + pedica (‘fetter, shackle; snare, trap’) (from pēs (‘foot’), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ped- (‘to step, walk; to fall, stumble’)) + -ō. In senses 1.2 (‘accusation that a person has committed a crime’) and 1.3 (‘act of impeaching or charging a public official with misconduct’), the word has been used in place of Latin impetere, the present active infinitive of impetō (‘to assail, attack, rush upon’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ped- ‘to walk, to step’
feet, foot, pilot, pie, pioneer, expedition, podium, pedestrian, pawn, fetch, pedal, pew, pedigree, pug, baht, expedite, pes, fet, impede, ped, pedicure, centipede, petiole, impediment, puy, peon, fetter, pada, poy, tripos, pedometer, pedicel, pedicle, quadruped, biped, 50 more
Today it means
noun The act of calling into question or challenging the accuracy or propriety of something.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ped- / impeachment