ATTAINT

attaint

(verb) condemn by attainder; “the man was attainted”

dishonor, disgrace, dishonour, attaint, shame

(verb) bring shame or dishonor upon; “he dishonored his family by committing a serious crime”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Adjective

attaint (comparative more attaint, superlative most attaint)

(obsolete) Convicted, attainted.

(obsolete) Attainted; corrupted.

Verb

attaint (third-person singular simple present attaints, present participle attainting, simple past and past participle attainted)

(archaic) To subject to attainder; to condemn (someone) to death and extinction of all civil rights.

(archaic) To subject to calumny; to accuse of a crime or dishonour.

(now rare) To taint; to corrupt, sully.

Noun

attaint (plural attaints)

(archaic) A blow or strike, especially in jousting.

A wound on the leg of a horse caused by a blow

(obsolete, legal) The giving of a false verdict by a jury; the conviction of such a jury, and the reversal of the verdict

Source: Wiktionary

At*taint", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Attainted; p. pr. & vb. n. Attainting.] Etym: [OE. atteynten to convict, fr. atteynt, OF. ateint, p. p. of ateindre, ataindre. The meanings 3, 4, 5, and 6 were influenced by a supposed connection with taint. See Attain, Attainder.]

1. To attain; to get act; to hit. [Obs.]

2. (Old Law)

Definition: To find guilty; to convict; -- said esp. of a jury on trial for giving a false verdict. [Obs.] Upon sufficient proof attainted of some open act by men of his own condition. Blackstone.

3. (Law)

Definition: To subject (a person) to the legal condition formerly resulting from a sentence of death or outlawry, pronounced in respect of treason or felony; to affect by attainder. No person shall be attainted of high treason where corruption of blood is incurred, but by the oath of two witnesses. Stat. 7 & 8 Wm. III.

4. To accuse; to charge with a crime or a dishonorable act. [Archaic]

5. To affect or infect, as with physical or mental disease or with moral contagion; to taint or corrupt. My tender youth was never yet attaint With any passion of inflaming love. Shak.

6. To stain; to obscure; to sully; to disgrace; to cloud with infamy. For so exceeding shone his glistring ray, That Phattaint. Spenser. Lest she with blame her honor should attaint. Spenser.

At*taint", p. p.

Definition: Attainted; corrupted. [Obs.] Shak.

At*taint", n. Etym: [OF. attainte. See Attaint, v.]

1. A touch or hit. Sir W. Scott.

2. (Far.)

Definition: A blow or wound on the leg of a horse, made by overreaching. White.

3. (Law)

Definition: A writ which lies after judgment, to inquire whether a jury has given a false verdict in any court of record; also, the convicting of the jury so tried. Bouvier.

4. A stain or taint; disgrace. See Taint. Shak.

5. An infecting influence. [R.] Shak.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition