in·for·ma·tion n: an instrument containing a formal accusation of a crime that is issued by a prosecuting officer and that serves the same function as an indictment presented by a grand jury compare complaint 2, indictment
◇ About half the states in the United States allow prosecutors to issue informations. The rest require indictment.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.