attain

[uh-teyn] /əˈteɪn/

verb (used with object)

to reach, achieve, or accomplish; gain; obtain:

to attain one's goals.

to come to or arrive at, especially after some labor or tedium; reach:

to attain the age of 96; to attain the mountain peak.

verb (used without object)

to arrive at or succeed in reaching or obtaining something (usually followed by to or unto):

to attain to knowledge.

to reach in the course of development or growth:

These trees attain to remarkable height.

Origin

1300-50; Middle English atei(g)nen < Anglo-French, Old French ateign- (stem of ateindre) < Vulgar Latin *attangere (for Latin attingere), equivalent to Latin at- at- + tangere to touch

Related forms

attainer, noun

reattain, verb (used with object)

unattained, adjective

unattaining, adjective

well-attained, adjective

Synonyms

1. secure. See gain¹ .

Antonyms

1, 2. miss.

Examples from the web for attain

Rockfish are exceptionally long-lived fish; black rockfish live to age 40, and yelloweye rockfish can attain ages of over 100.
It's a goal that disciplines minds, even if you never quite attain it.
Many attain the grades normally needed to get into university.
How-to investment books tell readers how to attain the moneyed life.
Readers will be introduced to some novels for the first time, and will attain deeper understandings of others they already love.
Instead of avoiding negative thoughts and emotions, he says, you should acknowledge and manipulate them to attain success.
He describes it as a story of overcoming obstacles to attain one's dream.
They have suggested that higher levels of electrical stimulation might attain better results.
It takes quite a few years in order to attain even moderate proficiency in Arabic.
The competition requires that a car attain 100 m.p.g.

British Dictionary definitions for attain

attain

/əˈteɪn/

verb

(transitive) to achieve or accomplish (a task, goal, aim, etc)

(transitive) to reach or arrive at in space or time: to attain old age

(intransitive) often foll by to. to arrive (at) with effort or exertion: to attain to glory

Derived Forms

attainable, adjective
attainability, attainableness, noun

Word Origin

C14: from Old French ateindre, from Latin attingere to reach, from tangere to touch

Word Origin and History for attain

c.1300, "to succeed in reaching," from stem of Old French ataindre (11c., Modern French atteindre) "to come up to, reach, attain, endeavor, strive," from Vulgar Latin *adtangere, from Latin attingere "to touch, to arrive at," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + tangere "to touch" (see tangent). Latin attingere had a wide range of meanings, including "to attack, to strike, to appropriate, to manage," all somehow suggested by the literal sense "to touch." Related: Attained; attaining.