What does impanelled mean?
Impanelled means that someone has been formally made a member of a jury. In legal and news contexts, it describes the act of bringing selected people into jury service, usually after the required formalities and oath. The word functions as both the past tense and past participle of impanel: a person may be impanelled on a jury, or jurors may be impanelled at the start of a trial. Although the word belongs chiefly to legal and historical language, it remains useful in reporting court proceedings, the administration of justice, and discussions of civic duties. It is closely related to panel, which can refer both to a jury and to a larger body of people chosen to perform a particular function.
verbTo formally appoint or swear in someone as a member of a jury. The past tense and past participle of impanel.
- The past tense and past participle of impanel, meaning to formally appoint or swear in a juror or jury member.
"After taking the oath, the prospective jurors were impanelled as members of the jury."
"Two new jurors were impanelled after the court had recessed for the day."
"The report explained that the witness had been impanelled on the grand jury."
Before a trial can begin, the people who will decide it are formally brought into the jury box—one by one, they are impanelled.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does impanelled come from?
Impanelled is the British-spelled past form of impanel; the usual American form is impaneled, with a single l. The verb was borrowed into English from Anglo-Norman French empaneler and developed from panel, a term used for a list or body of persons, including jurors. The related form empanel preserves another traditional English spelling of the same verb.
Related word forms
How impanelled is actually used
The form with two l's is standard in British English; US usage generally spells it impaneled. The word is formal and is found chiefly in legal, journalistic, and historical contexts.
Easily confused with impanelled
Impanelled means formally appointed to jury service, whereas impelled means driven or urged to act.