attainder

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: at=tain=der

CIDE DICTIONARY

attainder, n. [OF. ataindre, ateindre, to accuse, convict. Attainder is often erroneously referred to F. teindre tie stain. See Attaint, Attain.].

•  The act of attainting, or the state of being attainted; the extinction of the civil rights and capacities of a person, consequent upon sentence of death or outlawry; as, an act of attainder.  Abbott.  [1913 Webster]

  " Formerly attainder was the inseparable consequence of a judicial or legislative sentence for treason or felony, and involved the forfeiture of all the real and personal property of the condemned person, and such “corruption of blood” that he could neither receive nor transmit by inheritance, nor could he sue or testify in any court, or claim any legal protection or rights. In England attainders are now abolished, and in the United States the Constitution provides that no bill of attainder shall be passed; and no attainder of treason (in consequence of a judicial sentence) shall work corruption of blood or forfeiture, except during the life of the person attainted."  [1913 Webster]
•  A stain or staining; state of being in dishonor or condemnation.  [1913 Webster]

  "He lived from all attainder of suspect."  [1913 Webster]

Bill of attainder, a bill brought into, or passed by, a legislative body, condemning a person to death or outlawry, and attainder, without judicial sentence.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

attainder, n. hist. the forfeiture of land and civil rights suffered as a consequence of a sentence of death for treason or felony.

Idiom

act (or bill) of attainder an item of legislation inflicting attainder without judicial process.

Etymology

ME f. AF, = OF ateindre ATTAIN used as noun: see -ER(6)

ROGET THESAURUS

attainder

Imperfection

N imperfection, imperfectness, deficiency, inadequacy, peccancy, immaturity, fault, defect, weak point, screw loose, flaw, gap, twist, taint, attainder, bar sinister, hole in one's coat, blemish, weakness, half blood, shortcoming, drawback, seamy side, mediocrity, no great shakes, no great catch, not much to boast of, one-horse shay, imperfect, not perfect, deficient, defective, faulty, unsound, tainted, out of order, out of tune, cracked, leaky, sprung, warped, lame, injured, peccant, frail, inadequate, crude, incomplete, found wanting, below par, short-handed, below its full strength, under its full strength, below its full complement, indifferent, middling, ordinary, mediocre, average, so-so, coucicouci, milk and water, tolerable, fair, passable, pretty well, pretty good, rather good, moderately good, good, good enough, well enough, adequate, decent, not bad, not amiss, inobjectionable, unobjectionable, admissible, bearable, only better than nothing, secondary, inferior, second-rate, second-best, one-horse, almost, to a limited extent, rather, pretty, moderately, passing, only, considering, all things considered, enough, surgit amari aliquid.

Condemnation

N condemnation, conviction, judgment, penalty, sentence, proscription, damnation, death warrant, attainder, attainture, attaintment, condemnatory, damnatory, guilty, condemned, nonsuited, self-convicted, mutato nomine de te fabula narratur, unrespited, unpitied, unreprieved.