To affect with attainder; to disgrace or taint someone's honor or reputation.
Third-person singular present of attaint, from Old French atainte 'touched.' In legal history, this verb crystallized around the Norman Conquest period to describe the formal process of legal disgrace.
Shakespeare uses 'attaint' constantly in his tragedies—it's the word for how scandal corrupts not just a person but their entire family line. The legal concept gave writers a perfect word for moral and social contamination.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.