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False accusation of a crime or offense, maliciously made or reported, to the injury of another; malicious misrepresentation; slander; detraction. "Infamouse calumnies." Motley. Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Shak.

An accusation of a wrong of offense; allegation; indictment; specification of something alleged. The charge of confounding very different classes of phenomena. Whewell.

To make a formal accusation; to make a charge. Now, Master Shallow, you'll complain of me to the king Shak.

Expression of grief, regret, pain, censure, or resentment; lamentation; murmuring; accusation; fault-finding. I poured out my complaint before him. Ps. cxlii. 2. Grievous complaints of you. Shak.

A joint accusation.

ce to yield up something of value. Then concussion, rapine, pilleries, Their catalogue of accusations fill. Daniel. Concussion fuse (Mil.), one that is ignited by the concussion of the shell when it strikes.

The act of accusing; accusation; charge; complaint. The criminations and recriminations of the adverse parties. Macaulay.

Accusation by an informer. Milman.

The act of denouncing; public menace or accusation; the act of inveighing against, stigmatizing, or publicly arraigning; arraignment.

mething weighing upon or impeding over one, as a debt, claim, obligation, responsibility, accusation, etc.; to absolve; to acquit; to clear. Discharged of business, void of strife. Dryden. In one man's fault discharge another man of his duty. L'Estrange.

the body politic; public commotion; tumult. The disturbance was made to support a general accusation against the province. Bancroft.

The act of eluding or avoiding, particularly the pressure of an argument, accusation, charge, or interrogation; artful means of eluding. Thou . . . by evasions thy crime uncoverest more. Milton.

To free from accusation, or the imputation of fault or blame; to clear from guilt; to release from a charge; to justify by extenuating a fault; to exculpate; to absolve; to acquit. A man's persuasion that a thing is duty, will not excuse him from guilt in practicing it, if really and indeed it be against Gog's law. Abp…

r load of blame resting on one; to clear of something that lies upon oppresses one, as an accusation or imputation; as, to exonerate one's self from blame, or from the charge of avarice. Burke.

ist; to remonstrate; -- followed by with. Men expostulate with erring friends; they bring accusations against enemies who have done them a wrong. Jowett (Thuc. ).

Reproachful accusation; upbraiding. [Obs.] A fearful exprobration of our unworthiness. Jer. Taylor.

sen or weaken the force of; to diminish the conception of, as crime, guilt, faults, ills, accusations, etc.; -- opposed to aggravate. But fortune there extenuates the crime. Dryden. Let us extenuate, conceal, adorn the unpleasing reality. I. Taylor.

; useless; unprofitable; as, a fruitless attempt; a fruitless controversy. They in mutual accusation spent The fruitless hours. Milton.

sh; to maintain; to supply (a defect or deficiency); to indemmify; to prove or verify (an accusation); to prove to be blameless; to clear; to vindicate. Each word made good and true. Shak. Of no power to make his wishes good. Shak. I . . . would by combat make her good. Shak. Convenient numbers to make good the city. S…

en, and not more than twenty-three, whose duty it is, in private session, to examine into accusations against persons charged with crime, and if they see just cause, then to find bills of indictment against them, to be presented to the court; -- called also grand inquest. -- Grand juryman, a grand juror. -- Grand lar…