What does attainted mean?
Attainted is the past form of the verb attaint, a term rooted in English feudal law meaning that someone has been convicted of treason or another capital offence through a bill or writ of attainder. An attainted person forfeited their lands and titles to the Crown, lost all civil rights, and — most strikingly — suffered what was called 'corruption of blood': their descendants were barred from inheriting, effectively punishing the whole family for one member's crime. By extension, attainted can describe anything disgraced, dishonoured, or morally stained. Today the word survives almost entirely in historical and literary contexts, since acts of attainder fell out of use centuries ago. It is easily confused with 'attained,' which means achieved, so careful writers keep them distinct.
Past tense and past participle of attaint: convicted of treason or a serious crime, with consequent forfeiture of property, rank, and civil rights.
"He was attainted after the failed rising, and his family never recovered the estate."
Almost exclusively encountered in discussions of English legal history prior to the abolition of attainder.
Disgraced, dishonoured, or morally corrupted; formerly, specifically having been subjected to legal attainder.
"The chronicler described the traitor's attainted name as unfit for any honest household."
Now rare and literary outside historical usage.
In medieval England, being 'attainted' was worse than death — your blood was declared legally 'corrupted,' your heirs lost everything, and your family name was wiped from succession.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of attainted
Attainted derives from the verb attaint, borrowed into Middle English from Anglo-Norman and Old French ataint, the past participle of ataindre, meaning 'to convict' or literally 'to touch upon.' That verb descends from Latin attingere, 'to reach or touch,' formed from ad- ('to') plus tangere ('to touch'). The same Latin root gives English related words such as attain, taint, contact, and tangent, making 'touching' the shared thread — originally the idea that conviction 'touched' or struck the guilty party's honour and bloodline.
Related word forms
How attainted is actually used
Attainted belongs chiefly to historical and legal writing about English law before the abolition of attainders; its figurative use ('morally stained') is literary and now rare. The spelling should not be confused with 'attained.'
Easily confused with attainted
Attained means achieved or reached something desirable (e.g., a goal), while attainted is an archaic legal term meaning convicted of treason and stripped of rights.