Attourne

/əˈtɔːrn/ verb

Definition

An obsolete or variant form of 'attorn,' used in early English legal documents to describe the transfer of feudal allegiance.

Etymology

An alternative spelling of 'attorn' that appears in Early Modern English texts, possibly influenced by French 'attourner' (to assign) or representing regional pronunciation variations before spelling standardization.

Kelly Says

Finding 'attourne' instead of 'attorn' in a legal document is like finding a fingerprint of where and when it was written—each region and time period had preferred spellings, and tracing these variants helps historians date and locate ancient contracts.

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