Attainder Definition

ə-tāndər
noun
Under English common law, the state of having lost one's legal and civil personhood, as through losing the legal capacity to own or pass on property.
American Heritage
Forfeiture of property and loss of civil rights of a person sentenced to death or outlawed.
Webster's New World
Dishonor.
Webster's New World

In common law, the automatic elimination of one’s civil rights and liberties when sentenced to death or declared an outlaw for committing a felony or treason. See also civil death and bill of attainder.

Webster's New World Law
(law, rare) The state a prisoner enters once a death sentence (usually for treason) had been issued; the state of being stripped of all civil rights.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Attainder

Noun

Singular:
attainder
Plural:
attainders

Origin of Attainder

  • Middle English atteindre act of attainting from Old French ataindre to convict, affect, attainder attain

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Anglo-Norman ataindre, with infinitive used as noun frequent in Law French.

    From Wiktionary

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to attainder using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

attainder