at⋅tach⋅ment
[uh-tach-muh
nt] 
| 1. | an act of attaching or the state of being attached. |
| 2. | a feeling that binds one to a person, thing, cause, ideal, or the like; devotion; regard: a fond attachment to his cousin; a profound attachment to the cause of peace. |
| 3. | something that attaches; a fastening or tie: the attachments of a harness; the attachments of a pair of skis. |
| 4. | an additional or supplementary device: attachments for an electric drill. |
| 5. | Law. seizure of property or person by legal authority, esp. seizure of a defendant's property to prevent its dissipation before trial or to acquire jurisdiction over it. |
| 6. | something attached, as a document added to a letter. |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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| at·tach·ment (ə-tāch'mənt) n.
|
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Attachment
At*tach"ment\, n. [F. attachment.]1. The act attaching, or state of being attached; close adherence or affection; fidelity; regard; an? passion of affection that binds a person; as, an attachment to a friend, or to a party. 2. That by which one thing is attached to another; connection; as, to cut the attachments of a muscle. The human mind . . . has exhausted its forces in the endeavor to rend the supernatural from its attachment to this history. --I. Taylor. 3. Something attached; some adjunct attached to an instrument, machine, or other object; as, a sewing machine attachment (i. e., a device attached to a sewing machine to enable it to do special work, as tucking, etc.). 4. (Giv. Law) (a) A seizure or taking into custody by virtue of a legal process. (b) The writ or percept commanding such seizure or taking. Note: The term is applied to a seizure or taking either of persons or property. In the serving of process in a civil suit, it is most generally applied to the taking of property, whether at common law, as a species of distress, to compel defendant's appearance, or under local statutes, to satisfy the judgment the plaintiff may recover in the action. The terms attachment and arrest are both applied to the taking or apprehension of a defendant to compel an appearance in a civil action. Attachments are issued at common law and in chancery, against persons for contempt of court. In England, attachment is employed in some cases where capias is with us, as against a witness who fails to appear on summons. In some of the New England States a writ of attachment is a species of mesne process upon which the property of a defendant may be seized at the commencement of a suit and before summons to him, and may be held to satisfy the judgment the plaintiff may recover. In other States this writ can issue only against absconding debtors and those who conceal themselves. See Foreign, Garnishment, Trustee process. --Bouvier. --Burrill. --Blackstone. Syn: Attachment, Affection. Usage: The leading idea of affection is that of warmth and tenderness; the leading idea of attachment is that of being bound to some object by strong and lasting ties. There is more of sentiment (and sometimes of romance) in affection, and more of principle in preserving attachment. We speak of the ardor of the one, and the fidelity of the other. There is another distinction in the use and application of these words. The term attachment is applied to a wider range of objects than affection. A man may have a strong attachment to his country, to his profession, to his principles, and even to favorite places; in respect to none of these could we use the word affection.Cite This Source
Attachment
A legal term referring to the action of seizing property in anticipation of a favorable ruling for a plaintiff who claims to be owed money by the defendant.
Investopedia Commentary
This is a preliminary procedure, meaning that property is seized before a final ruling is delivered. The seizure may prove unwarranted if the court rules in favor of the defendant.
Often real estate, vehicles and bank accounts are seized under these circumstances. A judge will seize such property when there is a good chance that the plaintiff will win the case and a high probability that the defendant will flee and not pay a court ordered settlement. However, if the attachment proves to have been unnecessary, the court must pay the defendant a bond to cover any damages the seizure caused.
See also: Judgment
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Main Entry: at·tach·ment
Pronunciation: &-'tach-m&nt
Function: noun
: the physical connection by which one thing is attached to another
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attachment
in U.S. law, a writ issuing from a court of law to seize the person or property of a defendant. In several of the older states in the United States, attachments against property are issued at the commencement of suits in order to secure any judgment that may be entered for the plaintiff. In other states, attachments before a judgment are issued only against the property of nonresidents or upon specific statutory grounds relating to fraud or the like. In such cases, the plaintiff is commonly required to post an indemnity bond. An attachment may also be issued after a judgment, the term frequently being used to designate a levy upon a bank account, wages, or other intangible assets of the debtor. See also garnishment.
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