attainted
|a-taint-ed|
/əˈteɪntɪd/
(attaint)
to be touched/affected → tainted/convicted
Etymology
'attaint' originates from Anglo-French/Old French, specifically the word 'ataint' (past participle of 'ataindre'/'atteindre'), ultimately from Latin components 'ad-' + 'tangere' (via Vulgar Latin *attingere), where 'ad-' meant 'to/toward' and 'tangere' meant 'to touch'.
'attaint' developed from Old French 'ataint' (past participle of 'ataindre'/'atteindre'), entered Middle English in legal usage as 'attaint' meaning a declaration of guilt or judgment of attainder, and later produced the past/past-participle form 'attainted'.
Initially related to the idea of 'reaching' or 'touching' (from Latin 'tangere'), the word's sense narrowed in medieval legal contexts to mean 'to reach with an accusation' and thus to 'declare guilty' or 'subject to legal attainder'; the modern (historical/legal) meaning is 'declared guilty/legally tainted'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
past tense or past participle form of 'attaint' (to declare guilty of a crime such as treason or to subject to attainder).
He was attainted for treason and lost his estates.
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Adjective 1
having been subject to attainder; legally or morally tainted (often used in historical/legal contexts of loss of civil rights or 'corruption of blood').
An attainted noble could not pass his titles to his heirs.
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Last updated: 2025/11/14 22:34