The world, profession, or realm of attorneys and lawyers collectively, similar to how 'kingdom' means the realm of a king.
Formed from 'attorney' plus the suffix '-dom' (from Old English 'dom' meaning 'judgment' or 'domain'). This productive suffix creates nouns meaning the domain or collective group of something, as in 'kingdom' or 'dukedom'.
'-dom' is a wonderfully productive suffix that medieval English speakers invented to describe entire spheres—'Christendom' for the Christian world, 'attorneydom' for the legal world. It's like these ancient word-makers understood that professions create their own mini-societies with distinct cultures and rules.
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