Adjacent Words

Attaint definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ATTA'INT, v.t. [See Attainder.]
1. To taint or corrupt; to extinguish the pure or inheritable blood of a person found guilty of treason or felony, by confession, battle, or verdict, and consequent sentence of death, or by special act of Parliament.
No person shall be attainted of high treason where corruption of blood is incurred, but by the oath of two witnesses, etc.
2. To taint, as the credit of jurors, convicted of giving a false verdict. This is done by special writ of attaint. The conviction of such a crime attaints the reputation of jurors, and renders them infamous.
3. To disgrace; to cloud with infamy; to stain.
4. To taint or corrupt.
ATTA'INT, n.
1. A stain, spot or taint. [See taint.]
2. Any thing injurious; that which impairs. Obs.
3. A blow or wound on the hinder feet of a horse.
4. A writ which lies after judgment against a jury for giving a false verdict in any court of record.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: bring shame or dishonor upon; "he dishonored his family by committing a serious crime" [syn: dishonor, disgrace, dishonour, attaint, shame] [ant: honor, honour, reward]
2: condemn by attainder; "the man was attainted"

Merriam Webster's

I. transitive verb Etymology: Middle English attaynten, from Anglo-French ateint, past participle of ateindre Date: 14th century 1. to affect by attainder 2. a. infect, corrupt b. archaic taint, sully 3. archaic accuse II. noun Date: 1592 obsolete a stain upon honor or purity ; disgrace

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 hist. subject to attainder. 2 a (of disease etc.) strike, affect. b taint. Etymology: ME f. obs. attaint (adj.) f. OF ataint, ateint past part. formed as ATTAIN: confused in meaning with TAINT

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

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 Ph?bus' golden face it did attaint. --Spenser. Lest she with blame her honor should attaint. --Spenser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Attaint At*taint", p. p. Attainted; corrupted. [Obs.] --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

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.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Taint, corrupt, stain, disgrace, pollute, cloud with infamy. 2. (Law.) Punish by corruption of blood.