The word impeach enters English in the 1380s as the Middle English empechen, which meant “to impede,” “hinder,” or “prevent.” It was borrowed from the Old French empechier, in turn from the Late Latin impedicāre, “to fetter,” “entangle,” or “catch.” The root of impedicāre is pedica, “shackles,” formed from pēs, “foot,” yielding words from pawn to pedestrian to impede. As the metaphor goes, to shackle one’s feet is to stop them from walking, hence impeach’s historical sense of “hinder.”
Mashed Radish – What is the “Peach” in “Impeachment”?
What, exactly, is ugly about this word? I rather like it.
Hat/Tip to Eric Buck and The Washington Post
The rest of the world seems to be doing this impeachment thing a lot better than we do.
