indictment
definition
a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime
example
The grand jury issued a formal indictment against the suspect after reviewing the evidence presented by the prosecutor.
synonyms
accusationchargeallegation
word origin — from Old French 'indictement', from Latin 'indictare', meaning 'to proclaim or announce' (from 'in-' + 'dicere' meaning 'to say').