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indict

Etymology and origin of the English word indict

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɪnˈdaɪt/[1]

Etymology

It is a respelling, after Medieval Latin indictāre (“to indict”), of inherited from Middle English enditen (“to accuse; to write”),[2][3][4][5][6] borrowed from Anglo-Norman enditer (“to accuse, indict”),[2][3][4][5][6] from Old French enditer “to dictate, write, compose”,[3][4] from Vulgar Latin *indictāre (“to declare, proclaim in writing”),[4] from in- and Latin dictāre (“to declare, dictate”).[4][6] It is a doublet of indite.[2][3][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

To bring a charge against, to accuse (a person) of a crime, especially by legal process (1278 in the OED; about 1303 in Barnhart).[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The Latinized spelling indict was adopted about 1600–26, but the word kept its French-derived pronunciation, rhyming with invite.[4][3][5] The non-legal senses of the Middle English verb, “to write, compose”, stayed with the older spelling indite.[4] The sense was perhaps partly confused with Latin indicāre “to point out”.[4] In modern use indict means especially the formal charge made by a grand jury.[2][5][6]

Timeline

  • 1278 – to accuse of a crime (OED).[7]
  • c. 1303 – endyten (Barnhart).[3]
  • c. 1440 – indyten.[3]
  • 1594 – indictment.[3]
  • c. 1626 – the spelling indict.[3][5]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. (law) To charge formally with a crime, especially by the finding of a grand jury.
  2. To accuse of wrongdoing; to charge or criticize.

Word family

  • indictable
  • indictment
  • indite
  • dictate
  • verdict
  • interdict

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Indict.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/indict. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·