'attorney' originates from Old French/Anglo-French, specifically the verb 'atorner' (past participle 'atorné'), where the prefix 'a-' (from Latin 'ad-') meant 'to/toward' and 'torner' (from Latin 'tornare') meant 'to turn or appoint'.

'attorney' changed from Old French/Anglo-French 'atorner'/'atorné' (meaning 'to appoint') into Middle English forms such as 'attorne' and eventually became the modern English word 'attorney'.

Initially it meant 'one appointed or turned to act for another'; over time it evolved into the current primary sense of 'a legal representative or lawyer' (though the sense 'agent appointed to act for another' remains).