Arraign, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Arraigned; p. pr. & vb. n. Arraigning.]
Etymology: [OE. arainen, arenen, OF. aragnier, aranier, araisnier, F. arraisonner, fr. LL. arrationare to address to call before court; L. ad + ratio reason, reasoning, LL. cause, judgment. See Reason.]
1. (Law)
To call or set as a prisoner at the bar of a court to answer to the matter charged in an indictment or complaint. Blackstone.
2. To call to account, or accuse, before the bar of reason, taste, or any other tribunal. They will not arraign you for want of knowledge. Dryden. It is not arrogance, but timidity, of which the Christian body should now be arraigned by the world. I. Taylor.
Syn. -- To accuse; impeach; charge; censure; criminate; indict; denounce. See Accuse.
2 other Webster entries under this spelling
Arraign, n.
Arraignment; as, the clerk of the arraigns. Blackstone. Macaulay.
Arraign, v. t.
(Old Eng. Law)
To appeal to; to demand; as, to arraign an assize of novel disseizin.
Shades of meaning
Arraign is an official word; a person accused of crime is arraigned when he is formally called into court, the indictment read to him, and the demand made of him to plead guilty or not guilty; in more extended use, to arraign is to call in question for fault in any formal, public, or official way. One may charge another with any fault, great or trifling, privately or publicly, formally or informally. Accuse is stronger than charge, suggesting more of the formal and criminal; a person may charge a friend with unkindness or neglect; he may accuse a tramp of stealing. Censure carries the idea of fault, but not of crime; it may be private and individual, or public and official. A judge, a president, or other officer of high rank may be impeached before the appropriate tribunal for high crimes; the veracity of a witness may be impeached by damaging evidence. A person of the highest character may be summoned as defendant in a civil suit; or he may be cited to answer as administrator, etc. Indict and arraign apply strictly to criminal proceedings, and only an alleged criminal is indicted or arraigned. One is indicted by the grand jury, and arraigned before the appropriate court.
Prepositions
Arraign at the bar, before the tribunal, of or for a crime; on or upon an indictment.