The act or fact of being attainted; a legal disgrace or loss of rights and privileges.
From attaint (Middle English, from Old French atainte 'touched, affected') + -ment suffix. The legal term evolved from the French concept of being 'touched' by shame or dishonor, which became formalized in English law as a punishment that stripped a person of their rights.
Attaintment was a brutal weapon in medieval English law—if you were convicted of treason, your entire family lost their lands and titles forever, even children born after your crime. It's why so many noble families carefully documented their 'new' lineages after a politically inconvenient relative was executed.
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