accusantn.adj.

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 69 (MED) After I consider þe werkez, & þe accusantez [L. accusationes], & hem þat founde newe experiencez discording, I had hem suspecte.

1587 J. Bridges Def. Govt. Church of Eng. xii. 979 As for the crime and the punishment, was of the accusant called vpon, in these wordes: The Iudgement of death is due to this man, because hee hath done this or that. But the Defendant repelled it, with these wordes [etc.].

a1612 J. Harington Epigrams (1618) ii. 6 Surely one should be deem'd a false accusant, That would appeach Leda for a Recusant.

a1656 Bp. J. Hall Shaking of Olive-tree (1660) i. 54 The Accusant must hold him to the proof of the charge.

1721 N. Amhurst Terræ-filius 21 June Mean while the Accusant is not known, nor has the Party accused the Liberty to disprove what is charged upon him.

1832 T. P. Thompson Exercises (1842) II. 66 He accuses the father of having only told half. He replies, he has told it all to the ‘collége’. The accusant says, he knows that.

1840 Essex Standard 10 Jan. He called upon the editor of the journal referred to, who informed him that accusant was Mr. Henry Bland.

1911 Independent (N.Y.) 19 Jan. 119/1 The accused Senator is Isaac Stephenson, of Wisconsin, and his accusants are members of a committee of the Wisconsin Senate.

1999 Speculum 74 481 By relying on secret accusations.., rewarding accusants, granting immunity to those who turned in their partners, and by lowering the penalties, this court succeeded in bringing far more men to trial for sodomy than had the earlier medieval courts.

1604 R. Parsons Rev. Ten Publike Disput. ix. 84 The Bishops affirminge..that the Protestant party was plaintife or accusant.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Accusant (partic.) accusant, accusing.

1647 Briefe Relation Answeres Earle of Strafford 68 It was against all practice..that the party accusant should give the Judgement.

1978 Crit. Inq. 5 413 If the accusation is intended to imply that the accusant nomenclature is not anthropomorphic, at that point my brand of Logology likens such ideological behavior to the verbal tactics of the politician.