arraign
Americanverb (used with object)
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Law. to call or bring before a court to answer to an indictment, a formal charge for which it has been ascertained that there is enough evidence to warrant trial.
He is scheduled to be arraigned this morning on drug and gun charges.
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to accuse or charge in general; criticize; censure.
I am not arraigning Professor Wells for these omissions, only mentioning them to indicate how complex such questions can be.
verb
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to bring (a prisoner) before a court to answer an indictment
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to call to account; complain about; accuse
Other Word Forms
- arraigner noun
- arraignment noun
Etymology
Origin of arraign
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English arainen, from Anglo-French arainer, Old French araisnier, equivalent to a- a- 5 + raisnier, from unrecorded Vulgar Latin ratiōnāre “to talk, reason”; ratio
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He is scheduled to be arraigned in a downtown L.A. courthouse Thursday morning.
From Los Angeles Times
He was scheduled to be arraigned at the San Bernardino County Superior Court yesterday at 8 a.m.
From Los Angeles Times
Armstead was transferred from state custody to federal custody and is expected to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.
From Los Angeles Times
He is scheduled to be arraigned in Los Angeles on Sept. 9.
From Los Angeles Times
He is set to be arraigned on Monday.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
