What does arraigned mean?
"Arraigned" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "arraign", a formal legal term meaning to summon someone before a court to answer for a criminal charge. When a person is arraigned, they are formally presented with the charges against them and typically asked to enter a plea. The word carries a distinctly official, judicial tone and appears almost exclusively in legal reporting, court records, and formal writing — one is "arraigned on charges", "arraigned before a magistrate", or "arraigned in court". A rarer figurative use describes publicly calling someone to account for misconduct, as when critics are said to have arraigned a government's policies. The term derives from Old French "areignier", meaning to set in order or arrange a matter, fitting its function of formally ordering a case before an authority. Because it is easily confused with "arrange" despite their shared ancestry, precision matters: arranging organizes things; arraignment puts a person on trial's doorstep.
verb (past tense and past participle of 'arraign')To have formally called someone before a court or other authority to answer for a crime or wrongdoing; to have accused or arraigned someone in this way.
- To have formally summoned someone before a court to answer criminal charges.
- (Figurative/rare) To have called someone to account publicly for conduct or actions.
"The suspect was arraigned on charges of fraud before the magistrate."
"The defendant was arraigned on two counts of theft and pleaded not guilty."
"Critics arraigned the government for its handling of the crisis."
From Old French 'areignier' — literally to 'set in order' a case against you, which is exactly what happens when you're arraigned.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of arraigned
"Arraigned" comes from the verb "arraign", borrowed into Middle English from Old French "areignier", meaning to set in order or arrange — ultimately from Vulgar Latin "arredonare"/"adrationare"-type forms relating to putting things in rank or order. In medieval legal practice, to arraign was literally to 'arrange' or set forth a case against someone before a judge. The noun "arraignment" developed alongside it, denoting the formal court proceeding itself.
Related word forms
How arraigned is actually used
Strictly formal and legal in register; almost always used in passive constructions ('was arraigned'). The figurative sense (publicly calling someone to account) is literary and less common. Always appears as the past tense or past participle of the verb 'arraign'.
Easily confused with arraigned
'Arrange' means to organize or put things in order, while 'arraign' is a legal term meaning to formally charge someone with an offense before a court.