Atteynt

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To bring disgrace or dishonor upon a person ; to accuse or impeach someone of a crime or misconduct
2. To sully the reputation or integrity of someone ; to formally charge or bring an accusation against a person
3. To stain someone's good name and standing ; to indict or impeach someone in a legal proceeding

Etymology: "Attain" and "attaint" are doublets, two English words that split from one source. Both descend from Old French "ataindre," from Latin "attingere," meaning "to touch upon" or "to reach" (ad- "to" plus tangere "to touch"). One branch drifted toward reaching a goal and became "attain," while the other kept the idea of being struck or stained. For centuries, "attaint" was mainly a legal word. A person convicted of treason or felony was attainted, losing property and civil rights, and a writ of attaint could punish a jury that had returned a false verdict. Its broader sense of being tainted by disgrace grew from that legal meaning, and the older "taint" is closely related.