1. The act of attaining; the act of arriving at or reaching; hence, the act of obtaining by efforts.
The attainment of every desired object.
Sir W. Jones.
2. That which is attained to, or obtained by exertion; acquirement; acquisition; mental acquirements; knowledge; as,
literary and scientific attainments.
Attaint
(At*taint") v. t. [imp. & p. p. Attainted; p. pr. & vb. n. Attainting.] [OE. atteynten to convict,
fr. atteynt, OF. ateint, p. p. of ateindre, ataindre. The meanings 3, 4, 5, and 6 were influenced by a
supposed connection with taint. See Attain, Attainder.]
1. To attain; to get act; to hit. [Obs.]
2. (Old Law) To find guilty; to convict; — said esp. of a jury on trial for giving a false verdict. [Obs.]
Upon sufficient proof attainted of some open act by men of his own condition.
Blackstone.
3. (Law) To subject (a person) to the legal condition formerly resulting from a sentence of death or
outlawry, pronounced in respect of treason or felony; to affect by attainder.
No person shall be attainted of high treason where corruption of blood is incurred, but by the oath of
two witnesses.
Stat. 7 & 8 Wm. III.
4. To accuse; to charge with a crime or a dishonorable act. [Archaic]
5. To affect or infect, as with physical or mental disease or with moral contagion; to taint or corrupt.
My tender youth was never yet attaint
With any passion of inflaming love.
Shak.
6. To stain; to obscure; to sully; to disgrace; to cloud with infamy.
For so exceeding shone his glistring ray,
That Phbus' golden face it did attaint.
Spenser.
Lest she with blame her honor should attaint.
Spenser.
Attaint
(At*taint"), p. p. Attainted; corrupted. [Obs.] Shak.
Attaint
(At*taint"), n. [OF. attainte. See Attaint, v.]
1. A touch or hit. Sir W. Scott.
2. (Far.) A blow or wound on the leg of a horse, made by overreaching. White.
3. (Law) A writ which lies after judgment, to inquire whether a jury has given a false verdict in any
court of record; also, the convicting of the jury so tried. Bouvier.
4. A stain or taint; disgrace. See Taint. Shak.
5. An infecting influence. [R.] Shak.
Attaintment
(At*taint"ment) n. Attainder; attainture; conviction.
Attainture
(At*tain"ture) n. Attainder; disgrace.
Attal
(At"tal) n. Same as Attle.
Attame
(At*tame") v. t. [OF. atamer, from Latin. See Attaminate.]
