Attainment

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈteɪnmənt/

Definitions

1. The act of successfully achieving or reaching a goal, level, or desired state through effort
2. The process of acquiring a skill, knowledge, or quality by effort, as well as the realization of objectives or milestones in personal or professional growth
3. The achievement of goals, objectives, or statuses through intentional effort and the gaining of various competencies or qualities

Etymology: "Attainment" is a plain English formation: the verb "attain" with the noun-forming suffix "-ment" added to it. The verb "attain" reached English from Old French "ataindre" (and earlier Latin "attingere," meaning to touch or reach toward), so the core idea is literally arriving at or touching something. Ancient reach, modern goal. The suffix "-ment" is what turns an action into a result or a state. Words like "government," "judgment," and "amendment" follow the same pattern, and "attainment" belongs to that group. Its Old French relative "ataignement" shows the same construction was already in use before English adopted the pair. The usual sense of "attainment" as a finished accomplishment, something you have reached, grows naturally out of that original notion of reaching a point. The word thus shifted from the act of arriving toward the thing achieved, which is why it can describe both the effort and the result.

Synonyms: achievement, accomplishment, realization, fulfillment, success

Antonyms: failure, loss, defeat, setback, disappointment