Attaynt

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To bring shame or disgrace upon someone or something ; to legally sentence a person for treason or a grave felony, stripping away their civil rights
2. To stain the reputation of a person or thing ; to formally convict someone of a major offence, which in older law forfeited their rights and property
3. To dishonour or blemish a name or character ; to pass a judgment of guilt for high treason or a serious felony under old legal practice

Etymology: Attaint comes from Old French "ataindre," meaning "to touch, reach, or strike," which itself descends from Latin "attingere," "to touch upon." The original sense was physical: to strike or hit someone or something. Its legal use grew from this idea. In medieval England, a person convicted of a serious crime, especially treason or a capital offence, was said to be "attainted," meaning their legal standing and property were struck down, and their blood was considered tainted so that they could no longer inherit or pass on land. From there the word moved outward into general use. Its verb sense, to stain someone's reputation, follows from the legal idea of having one's standing damaged, though the figurative extension is the form that survives most in writing today. The noun form, referring to a stain or taint on character, shows the same drift from a concrete blow to an abstract injury.