Attorneys

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. People licensed to act in legal matters by representing clients in court, giving legal advice on laws and rights, and managing legal cases or transactions for individuals or organizations
2. Licensed individuals who provide legal representation and counsel to clients in various legal proceedings
3. Professionals authorized to practice law and advocate on behalf of persons or entities in judicial or legal matters

Etymology: "Attorneys" is the plural of "attorney," and the singular has a meaning that has nothing to do with lawyers at its root. In Old French, "atorné" was the past participle of "atorner," meaning "to assign" or "to appoint," so an attorney was originally someone who had been formally put in another person's place. That sense of substitution survives in the law, where an attorney acts on behalf of a principal. The Middle English form "attourne" carried this same idea of being constituted or appointed to act for someone. Over time the word narrowed from any appointed agent to a person empowered to conduct another's legal business, and eventually to the professional who now argues cases and advises clients. The plural simply names that whole group of appointed representatives.