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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Attain \At*tain"\, noun Attainment. [Obs.]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Attain \At*tain"\, verb (used without an object)
1. To come or arrive, by motion, growth, bodily exertion, or efforts toward a place, object, state, etc.; to reach.
If by any means they might attain to Phenice. --Acts xxvii. 12.
Nor nearer might the dogs attain. --Sir W. Scott.
To see your trees attain to the dignity of timber. --Cowper.
Few boroughs had as yet attained to power such as this. --J. R. Green.
2. To come or arrive, by an effort of mind.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I can not attain unto it. --Ps. cxxxix. 6.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Attain \At*tain"\ ([a^]t*t[=a]n"), verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Attained} (-t[=a]nd"); p. pr. & vb. n. {Attaining}.] [Of. atteinen, atteignen, atainen, OF. ateindre, ataindre, F. atteindre, fr. L. attingere; ad + tangere to touch, reach. See {Tangent}, and cf. {Attinge}, {Attaint}.]
1. To achieve or accomplish, that is, to reach by efforts; to gain; to compass; as, to attain rest.
Is he wise who hopes to attain the end without the means? --Abp. Tillotson.
2. To gain or obtain possession of; to acquire. [Obs. with a material object.] --Chaucer.
3. To get at the knowledge of; to ascertain. [Obs.]
Not well attaining his meaning. --Fuller.
4. To reach or come to, by progression or motion; to arrive at. ''Canaan he now attains.'' --Milton.
5. To overtake. [Obs.] --Bacon.
6. To reach in excellence or degree; to equal.
Syn: To {Attain}, {Obtain}, {Procure}.
Usage: Attain always implies an effort toward an object. Hence it is not synonymous with obtain and procure, which do not necessarily imply such effort or motion. We procure or obtain a thing by purchase or loan, and we obtain by inheritance, but we do not attain it by such means.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
attain
verb
1: to gain with effort; "she achieved her goal despite setbacks" [syn: {achieve}, {accomplish}, {reach}]
2: reach a point in time, or a certain state or level; "The thermometer hit 100 degrees"; "This car can reach a speed of 140 miles per hour" [syn: {reach}, {hit}]
3: find unexpectedly; "the archeologists chanced upon an old tomb"; "she struck a goldmine"; "The hikers finally struck the main path to the lake" [syn: {fall upon}, {strike}, {come upon}, {light upon}, {chance upon}, {come across}, {chance on}, {happen upon}, {discover}]
4: reach a destination, either real or abstract; "We hit Detroit by noon"; "The water reached the doorstep"; "We barely made it to the finish line"; "I have to hit the MAC machine before the weekend starts" [syn: {reach}, {make}, {hit}, {arrive at}, {gain}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
70 Moby Thesaurus words for "attain": accede, accomplish, achieve, approach, arrive, arrive at, arrive in, attain to, be instated, be received, blow in, bob up, check in, clock in, come, come in, come to, come to hand, compass, consummate, deal with, discharge, dispatch, dispose of, do, do the job, do the trick, effect, effectuate, enact, execute, fetch, fetch up at, find, fulfill, gain, get in, get there, get to, hit, hit town, knock off, make, make good, make it, manage, mount the throne, perform, polish off, pop up, produce, pull in, punch in, put away, reach, realize, ring in, roll in, score, show up, sign in, succeed, take care of, take office, time in, turn the trick, turn up, win, work, work out
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