▪ I.arraign,v.¹|əˈreɪn|Forms: 4 arayne, 4–5 areyne, ar(r)ene, 5 arenȝi, arreyne, 5–6 arreygne, -aynge, 6–7 arrain(e, -eign, 7 araigne, arraigne, 6– arraign. Aphet. 5–6 reyne, reygne.[a.AF.araine-r, areine-r, arene-r,OF.arais-, areis-, aresnier:—L. adratiōnāre,f.ad to + ratiōnāre to reason, talk reasonably, talk,f.ratiōn-em reason, reasoning, discourse. The later F. araisonner was adopted inEng.as areason.]†1.trans.To call (a person) to account, or to answer for himself; to interrogate, examine. Obs.c1325E.E.Allit.P. C. 191Arayned hym[Jonah]ful runyschly what raysoun he hade..to slepe so faste.c1360Mercy 85 in E.E.P. (1862) 121Þeose are þe werkes of Merci, Of whuche crist wol vs areyne.1387TrevisaHigden RollsSer.IV. 303Augustus areyned[interrogavit]hym and seide.1447O. BokenhamLyvys of Seyntys 15He hyr thus areynyd wyth a pale faas.2.esp.To call upon one to answer for himself on a criminal charge; to indict before a tribunal. Hence gen.To accuse, charge with fault.a1400Leg.Rood 147To a-rene Wrecches þat wraþþe þi chylde.1450Somner in 4C.Eng.Lett.4He was arreyned upon the appechements and fonde gylty.c1450HenrysonMor. Fa. 42The Sheepe againe before the Wolfe arenȝied.1528MoreHeresyes iii.Wks.212/2Ytwere arreygned for a felonye.1542BrinklowComplaynt v. (1874) 18The day whan ye shal be reygned at the iudgement seate of God.1611Shakes.Wint. T. iii. ii. 14Thou art here accused and arraigned of High Treason.1722De FoeMollFl.(1840) 310,I was carried down to the Sessions house, where I was arraigned.1754RichardsonGrandison IV. xxiv. 177Lady Olivia is grieved..and arraigns herself and her wicked passion.1876FreemanNorm.Conq. IV. xviii. 129For that crime he was arraigned..before the King and his Witan.3.To accuse of some fault or imperfection, impeach, call in question, find fault with (actions, measures, statements, opinions).1672DrydenConq. Granada i. i,Judge-like thou sit'st, to praise or to arraign The flying Skirmish of the darted Cane.1772JuniusLett.Pref.10They arraign the goodness of Providence.1776GibbonDecl. & F. I. xxiv. 681He boldly arraigned the abuses of public and private life.1820ByronMar. Fal. v. i. 269You do not then..arraign our equity?b.absol.1746SmollettReproof 202And let me still the sentiment disdain Of him, who never speaks but to arraign.†4.To try, judge. Obs.rare.1623Heming & Cond. inShaks.C. Praise 145Though you be a Magistrate of wit, and sit on the Stage..to arraigne Playes dailie.†5.To sentence, condemn. Obs.rare.1658J. RowlandMouffet'sTheat.Ins. 1102When they finde they are arraigned to die.▪ II.†aˈrraign,v.² Law. Obs.Also 6–7 araine, arraine.[a. lateAFr.arraigner, arainer, the latter originating in a mis-spelling of aramer,OF.aramier, also aramir, cogn. w.Pr.aramir, OCat. aremir (Diez) :—late L. adhramīre (adrh-, adchr-, adcr-) in Salic and Longobard Laws;f.ad to + *hramīre (inPr.ramir), according to Grimm and Diezad.Goth.hramjan, whence ushramjan to crucify,perh.to hang up. In England, theAFr.aramer was re-latinized as arramāre (in Bracton, Fleta).TheGoth.hramjan isprob.cogn. w.Gr.κρεµα- ‘hang.’ The literal sense in which it was taken into late L. is unknown: Müllenhoff (in Waitz, Alte Recht der sal. Franken, 277) shows that it probably named some sensible, perhaps symbolical, action, which was afterwards disused and forgotten, while the technical phrases containing the word remained: see adramire sacramentum, testimonia, testes, vadium, bellum, arramare assisam, in Ducange. The true origin of arraign in this sense was pointed out by Spelman (s.v.Adrhamire), but as he unfortunately failed to see that it was a distinct word from theprec., and took aramer as the source of both, his successors rejected his truth along with his error, and in all Dictionaries this word now erroneously stands as a sense of theprec.]To appeal to, claim, demand; inphr.arraine (i.e.arrame) an assize.[c1275Bracton iv. i. 15Et arramavit assisam novæ disseysinæ.c1290Britton iii. vi. 13Si ambedeus eynt arramé assise de mort de auncestre vers une estraunge persone.1481Littleton §442Si home seit disseisi, et il arraine un assise envers le disseisour.]1528PerkinsProfit.Bk.v. §377If his disseisor arraign an assise against him.1574tr.Littleton Tenures 78 a,The lessee arraineth an assise of Novel disseisin of y⊇ land againste the lessour.1628CokeOn Litt. 262 b,To arraigne the Assise is to cause the Tenant to be called, to make the plaint, and to set the cause in such order as the Tenant may bee enforced to answer thereunto; and is deriued of the French word Arraigner.1641Termes de la Ley 26Arraine is to put a thing in order, or in his place: As hee is said to arraine an Assise of Novel Disseisin.1714J. Fortescue-Aland inFortescue's Abs. & Lim. Mon. 126. 1809 Tomlins LawDict.s.v.Arraign.▪ III.arraign,n.|əˈreɪn|[f.arraign v.¹]Arraignment, indictment.1638HeywoodRape Lucr. 187The freest Citizens without attaint, Arraigne, or judgement, we to exile doome.1849MacaulayHist.Eng.v. I. 645The clerk of the arraigns stood up in great disorder.