attorns
|at-torns|
🇺🇸
/əˈtɔrn/
🇬🇧
/əˈtɔːn/
(attorn)
turn to/transfer allegiance
Etymology
'attorn' originates from Anglo-French/Old French, specifically the word 'atorner', where the prefix 'a-' (from Latin ad-) meant 'to' and the root 'torner/turner' meant 'to turn' or 'to assign/appoint'.
'attorn' changed from Old French 'atorner' into Middle English forms such as 'attournen' and eventually became the modern English word 'attorn' (and its inflected forms like 'attorns').
Initially it meant 'to turn to' or 'to appoint/assign'; over time it developed a specialized legal sense of 'acknowledging a new owner or transferring tenancy/rights', which is the primary modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
third-person singular present of 'attorn'.
When the property is sold, the tenant attorns to the new owner.
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Verb 2
(Base meaning of 'attorn') To acknowledge and formally accept a new owner or landlord (often by a tenant), or to transfer (rights, allegiance, or interest) to another; to assign or turn over (especially in a legal/tenancy context).
By signing the agreement the lessee attorns to the purchaser and accepts the new landlord's authority.
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Last updated: 2025/11/16 13:04