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attaint

 - 3 dictionary results

at⋅taint

  [uh-teynt]
Use attaint in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. Law. to condemn by a sentence or a bill or act of attainder.
2. to disgrace.
3. Archaic. to accuse.
4. Obsolete. to prove the guilt of.
–noun
5. Obsolete. a stain; disgrace; taint.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME ataynte, deriv. of ataynt convicted < AF, OF, ptp. of ataindre to convict, attain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To attaint
at·taint   (ə-tānt')   
tr.v.   at·taint·ed, at·taint·ing, at·taints

  1. To impart stigma to; disgrace: "No breath of calumny ever attainted the personal purity of Savonarola" (Henry Hart Milman).

  2. To pass a sentence of attainder against.

  3. Archaic To infect or corrupt, as with illness or vice.

  4. Archaic To accuse.

n.  

  1. Obsolete Attainder.

  2. Archaic A disgrace; a stigma.


[Middle English attainten, from Old French ataint, past participle of ataindre, to affect; see attain.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: at·taint
Pronunciation: &-'tAnt
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Anglo-French ateint, past participle of ateindre —see ATTAINDER
: to subject (a person) to the consequences of attainder
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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