The word is rich with meaning, meaning that shifts subtly over the long arc of its engagement with the cultures that have used the word as the sign toward which meaning (and metaphor) could be attached.impeach (v.)formerly also empeach, late 14c., empechen, "to impede, hinder, prevent;" early 15c., "cause to be stuck, run (a ship) aground," also "prevent (from doing something)," from Anglo-French empecher, Old French empeechier "to hinder,… [read post]