attachés
|at-tach-és|
/əˈtæʃeɪ/
(attaché)
attached (to an organization or mission)
Etymology
'attaché' originates from French, specifically the past participle of the verb 'attacher', where 'ad-' (later 'a-') meant 'to/toward' and the root meant 'to fasten or bind'.
'attaché' changed from Old French 'atachier' (to fasten) and Middle French 'attacher' into the French past-participle form 'attaché', which was borrowed into English in the 19th century as 'attaché'.
Initially it meant 'fastened' or 'attached'; over time in English it came to mean 'a person attached to a diplomatic mission or organization' (i.e., a specialist assigned to a post).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a member of the diplomatic staff of an embassy, usually assigned a specific area of responsibility (e.g., military attaché, cultural attaché).
Two attachés from the embassy attended the security briefing.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a specialist or technical expert assigned to a particular office or organization, often as a representative or liaison.
The company sent two attachés to work with the overseas research team.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/03 15:29