arraign

[uh-reyn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR arraign ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to call or bring before a court to answer to an indictment.

to accuse or charge in general; criticize adversely; censure.

Origin of arraign

1275–1325; Middle English arainen < Anglo-French arainer, Old French araisnier, equivalent to a- a-⁵ + raisnier < Vulgar Latin *ratiōnāre to talk, reason; see ratio

Related formsar·raign·er, nounun·ar·raigned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for arraign

incriminate, indict, summon, blame, charge, criminate, inculpate

Examples from the Web for arraign

Contemporary Examples of arraign

The police locked him in a cell, and made plans to arraign Picasso.
Did Picasso Try to Steal the Mona Lisa?
Nick Mafi
October 23, 2014

Historical Examples of arraign

It was for this that I arraigned my colleague, and that I intend to arraign him.
The Life, Public Services and Select Speeches of Rutherford B. Hayes
James Quay Howard
He could not chide her for it, nor arraign her with one bitter thought.
Trail's End
George W. Ogden
I have met no one that can see his own faults and arraign himself within.
The Sayings Of Confucius
Confucius
Let us arraign her before our sacred tribunal, and have her into court.
A Simpleton
Charles Reade
And I,—who would dare to suspect, to arraign, the Prince di—?
Zicci, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for arraign

arraign

verb (tr)

to bring (a prisoner) before a court to answer an indictment

to call to account; complain about; accuse

Derived Formsarraigner, nounarraignment, noun

Word Origin for arraign

C14: from Old French araisnier to speak, accuse, from a- ² + raisnier, from Vulgar Latin ratiōnāre (unattested) to talk, argue, from Latin ratiō a reasoning

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for arraign

late 14c., araynen, "to call to account," from Old French araisnier "speak to, address; accuse (in a law court)," from Vulgar Latin *arrationare, from Latin adrationare, from ad- "to" (see ad-) + *rationare, from ratio "argumentation, reckoning, calculation" (see ratio). Sense of "to call up on a criminal charge" is c.1400. The excrescent -g- is a 16c. overcorrection based on reign, etc. Related: Arraigned; arraigning.