# accusation

Pronunciation: say "ak-yuu-ZAY-shuhn" /ˌæk.jʊˈzeɪ.ʃ(ə)n/

## Noun

1. A statement claiming that a person has done something wrong, typically made before it has been proven.
   - Simple: A claim that someone has done something wrong, often before it is proven.
   - _The reporter's accusation against the senator dominated the headlines for weeks._
   - _He dismissed her accusation as nothing more than office gossip._
2. The act of charging someone with wrongdoing or blaming a person for a fault.
   - Simple: The act of saying that someone has done something wrong.
   - _The public accusation of the official set off a lengthy investigation._
   - _His accusation came before anyone had heard the full story._
3. A formal charge brought against a person before a court of law, stating the offense they are alleged to have committed.
   - Simple: A formal claim made in court that a person has broken the law.
   - _The prosecutor outlined the accusation against the defendant in clear terms._
   - _The accusation was formally entered into the court record before the trial began._

## Origin

First attested in the late 14th century, accusation came through Middle English accusacion and Old French acusacion from Latin accūsātiō ('accusation, indictment'), itself from accūsō ('to blame, accuse').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/accusation (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).