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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Attaint \At*taint"\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Attainted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Attainting}.] [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) 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) 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 Ph?bus' golden face it did attaint. --Spenser.
Lest she with blame her honor should attaint. --Spenser.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Attaint \At*taint"\, p. p. Attainted; corrupted. [Obs.] --Shak.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Attaint \At*taint"\, noun [OF. attainte. See {Attaint}, v.]
1. A touch or hit. --Sir W. Scott.
2. (Far.) A blow or wound on the leg of a horse, made by overreaching. --White.
3. (Law) 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.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
attaint
verb
1: bring shame or dishonor upon; "he dishonored his family by committing a serious crime" [syn: {dishonor}, {disgrace}, {dishonour}, {shame}] [ant: {honor}]
2: condemn by attainder; "the man was attainted"
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |