Impaved with rude fidelity Of art mosaic.
Wordsworth.
Im*pav"id (?), a. [L. impavidus. See In- not, and Pavid.] Fearless. --
Im*pav"id*ly, adv.
Im*pawn" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Impawned (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Impawning.] [Pref. im- + pawn: cf. Empawn.] To put in pawn; to pledge.
Shak.
Im*peach" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Impeached (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Impeaching.] [OE. empeechier to prevent, hinder, bar, F. empêcher, L.
impedicare to entangle; pref. im- in + pedica fetter, fr. pes, pedis,
foot. See Foot, and Appeach, Dispatch, Impede.] 1. To hinder; to
impede; to prevent. [Obs.]
These ungracious practices of his sons did impeach his journey to
the Holy Land.
Sir J. Davies.
A defluxion on my throat impeached my utterance.
Howell.
2. To charge with a crime or misdemeanor; to accuse; especially to
charge (a public officer), before a competent tribunal, with
misbehavior in office; to cite before a tribunal for judgment of
official misconduct; to arraign; as, to impeach a judge. See
Impeachment.
3. Hence, to charge with impropriety; to dishonor; to bring discredit
on; to call in question; as, to impeach one's motives or conduct.
And doth impeach the freedom of the state.
Shak.
4. (Law) To challenge or discredit the credibility of, as of a witness,
or the validity of, as of commercial paper.
When used in law with reference to a witness, the term signifies, to
discredit, to show or prove unreliable or unworthy of belief; when used
in reference to the credit of witness, the term denotes, to impair, to
lessen, to disparage, to destroy. The credit of a witness may be
impeached by showing that he has made statements out of court
contradictory to what he swears at the trial, or by showing that his
reputation for veracity is bad, etc.
Syn. -- To accuse; arraign; censure; criminate; indict; impair;
disparage; discredit. See Accuse.