Word Direct Answers

What does "attaint" mean?

Attaint: (Old Law) To find guilty; to convict; -- said esp. of a jury on trial for giving a false verdict. [Obs.] Upon sufficient proof attainted of some open act by men of his own condition. Blackstone.

Additional senses

  1. 2.(Law) To subject (a person) to the legal condition formerly resulting from a sentence of death or outlawry, pronounced in respect of treason or felony; to affect by attainder. No person shall be attainted of high treason where corruption of blood is incurred, but by the oath of two witnesses. Stat. 7 & 8 Wm. III.
  2. 3.To accuse; to charge with a crime or a dishonorable act. [Archaic]
  3. 4.To affect or infect, as with physical or mental disease or with moral contagion; to taint or corrupt. My tender youth was never yet attaint With any passion of inflaming love. Shak.
  4. 5.To stain; to obscure; to sully; to disgrace; to cloud with infamy. For so exceeding shone his glistring ray, That Phattaint. Spenser. Lest she with blame her honor should attaint. Spenser.
  5. 6.Attainted; corrupted. [Obs.] Shak.
  6. 7.A touch or hit. Sir W. Scott.
  7. 8.(Far.) A blow or wound on the leg of a horse, made by overreaching. White.
  8. 9.(Law) A writ which lies after judgment, to inquire whether a jury has given a false verdict in any court of record; also, the convicting of the jury so tried. Bouvier.
  9. 10.A stain or taint; disgrace. See Taint. Shak.
  10. 11.An infecting influence. [R.] Shak.

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