attainders
|at-tain-der|
🇺🇸
/əˈteɪndər/
🇬🇧
/əˈteɪndə(r)/
(attainder)
legal conviction causing loss of civil rights
Etymology
'attainder' originates from Old French 'ataindre' (also seen as 'atteindre') and Anglo-French usage, ultimately from Latin 'attingere', where the prefix 'ad-' meant 'to' and the root 'tingere/tangere' meant 'to touch'.
'attainder' changed from Old French 'ataindre' into Middle English forms such as 'atainder' and 'attaindre', and eventually became the modern English word 'attainder'.
Initially it meant 'to reach' or 'to touch' (in a literal sense), but over time it took on the figurative sense of 'to bring a stain or guilt' and came to mean the legal consequence of conviction — loss of rights and property.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the loss of civil rights, property, and legal standing that follows a conviction for treason or felony; the state or condition of being attainted.
Many attainders in the 17th century resulted in families losing their lands and titles.
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Noun 2
an act, judgment, or record declaring a person guilty (especially an act of Parliament or similar) — often used historically as 'an act of attainder' or the recorded judgment of attainder.
Parliament issued several attainders during the crisis, and those attainders were used to seize estates.
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Last updated: 2025/11/14 20:14