attain

verb

1. 1

   To come to or reach (a place) by motion or progression.

   Canaan he novv attains, I ſee his Tents / Pitcht about Sechem, and the neighbouring Plaine / Of Moreh; […]

   Now had they almost attained / The palace portal.

   We have already reached a very high latitude; but it is the height of summer, and although not so warm as in England, the southern gales, which blow us speedily towards those shores which I so ardently desire to attain, breathe a degree of renovating warmth which I had not expected.

2. 2

   figurativeTo arrive at (a certain age or time, condition or state, etc.); to reach.

   Night hangs vpon mine eyes, my Bones vvould reſt, / That have but labour'd, to attaine this houre.

   It has also been aſſerted, by ſome naturaliſts, that men do not attain their full grovvth and ſtrength till thirty; but that vvomen arrive at maturity by tvventy.

3. 3

   figurativeTo gain (a desired result or other objective) through effort; to accomplish, to achieve.

   To attain such a high level of proficiency requires hours of practice each day.

   Roſse [William de Ros, 6th Baron Ros]. Your preſence makes Vs rich, moſt noble Lord. / VVil. [William Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby de Eresby]. And far ſurmounts our labour to attaine it.

   […] Reaſon is not as Senſe, and Memory, borne vvith us; nor gotten by Experience onely, as Prudence is; but attayned by Induſtry; […]

   Suppoſe a man; a Miniſter, or a Tradeſman, &c. ſhould have an advantage lie before him, to get the good bleſſings of this life; yet ſo, as that he can by no means come by them, except in appearance, at leaſt, he becomes extraordinarily zealous in ſome points of Religion, that he medled not vvith before, may he not uſe theſe means to attain his end, and yet be a right honeſt man?

4. 4

   archaicTo gain possession of (something tangible or intangible) through effort; to acquire, to obtain.

   [K]ing Edwarde [IV] returned, and wͭ much leſſe nũber thẽ [number then [than]] he had, at Barnet on theſtre daye felde [the Easter Day field], ſlewe the Erle of warwik [Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick] wͭ many other great eſtates of yͤ partie, ⁊ ſo ſtably attained the crowne againe, that he peaſſybly enioyed it vntil his dieng day: […]

   [T]hey reported their aduiſe to the kyng exortyng hym to prouyde for his force and ſtrength of men of warre⸝ to atteyne therby the towne of Berwike […]

   Yet notvvithſtanding, as Thoſe that firſt bring Honour into their Family, are commonly more vvorthy, then moſt that ſucceed: So the firſt Preſident (if it be good) is ſeldome attained by Imitation.

   Though I cannot prove hovv, or vvhere thou attainedſt thoſe glorious Arms, that Achillean Shield, and that ſtrong Steed, yet I vvill make it good on thy Carrion Corſe, that thou cameſt Felloniouſly by them; […]

5. 5

   obsoleteTo reach (someone) after being behind them.

   The Earle finding the Caſtle freed, and the Enemie retired, purſued vvith all celeritie into Scotland, hoping to haue ouer-taken the Scottiſh King, and to haue giuen him Battaile. But not attaining him in time, ſate dovvne before the Caſtle of Aton […] vvhich in a ſmall time hee tooke.

6. 6

   figurativeTo find out (information, knowledge, etc.); to ascertain, to get at.

   [I]t pleaſeth God to diſcouer certayne things to his ſeruantes after this maner at the fyrſte ſpringing vp of the Goſpell: of whiche thyng we may now atteyne manifeſt knowledge by his worde.

   And yet Maſter [William] Camden, ſometimes acknovvledgeth, ſometimes denieth him for an Engliſh Earle. Not that I accuſe him as inconſtant to himſelf, but ſuſpect my ſelf not vvell attaining his meaning therein.

   I cannot attain the exact date of the death of John Overall, carrying Superintendency in his Surname, the Biſhop of Norvvich; […]

7. 7

   archaicOften followed by to. To come to or reach a place by motion or progression; to reach.

   Then ſayde the children of Joſeph: We ſhal not be able to attayne vnto the mountayne, for there are yron charettes [chariots] amonge all the Cananites, that dwell in the londe of Emek, by whom lyeth Beth Sean and the vyllages therof, and Jeſreal in Emek.

   And becauſe the hauen was not commodious to winter in, the more part aduiſed to depart thence alſo, if by any meanes they might attaine to Phenice, and there to winter: which is an hauen of Creete, and lieth toward the Southweſt, and Northweſt.

   For, scarce a spear's length from his haunch, / Vindictive toiled the blood-hounds staunch; / Nor nearer might the dogs attain, / Nor farther might the quarry strain.

8. 8

   figurativeOften followed by to. To arrive at a certain condition or state, etc.

   You may not, perhaps, live to see your trees attain to the dignity of timber—I, nevertheless, approve of your planting, and the disinterested spirit that prompts you to it.

9. 9

   figurativeOften followed by to. To gain possession of something tangible or intangible through effort.

   Such knowlege is to wonderfull ⁊ excellẽt [excellent] for me, I can not atteyne vnto it.

   Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I can not attaine vnto it.

   The glorious Prize I novv purſue, / For full Redemption vvait, / And ſoon I ſhall attain unto / My primitive Eſtate.

10. 10

    obsoleteOften followed by to. To come to or reach a position without moving from one place to another.

    Now then, art thou afrayd leaſt God who careth for all things without care, moueth them without touching them, and atteyneth to them without putting himſelf foorth, is not able to wéeld theſe lower things without defyling himſelf by them?

    As for their geſture or poſition, the men lay dovvne [on couches in a triclinium] leaning on their left elbovv, their backe being advanced by ſome pillovv or ſoft ſubſtance; the ſecond lay ſo vvith his backe tovvards the firſt, that his head attained about his boſome, and the reſt in the ſame order: […]

11. 11

    obsoleteOften followed by to. To extend or reach from one position to another; to stretch.

    [S]onne Arthur, you ſhall giue to Perron your wife this night the Charter of her endowrie, wherein is compriſed the land of the Citie of Saintes and of Pois, attaining to the bounds of Gaſgoine.

12. 12

    figurativeOften followed by to. To find out information, knowledge, etc.

    I ſtudy tyll my braynes ake to ꝑceyue [perceive] this mater but I can nat attayne to it: […]

    He [Thomas de Littleton] compiled this Booke vvhen hee vvas Iudge, after the fourteenth yeare of the raigne of King E[dward] 4. but the certaine time vve cannot yet attaine vnto, but (as vve conceiue) it vvas not long before his death, […]

13. 13

    figurativeOften followed by to. To gain a desired result or other objective through effort.

    [H]e ſent ſtreyght his letters ⁊ his meſſengers in euery place⸝ where as he thought to recouer⸝ or attaigne to haue any company of men of warre.

    He [John Gregory] attained to be an exquiſite Linguiſt and general Scholar, his modeſty ſetting the greater luſtre on his learning.

14. 14

    figurativeOften followed by to. Of a person: to live to a certain age or time.

    Heare thou yͭ haſt kepte in the earth ſo lõge [longe], this I ſaye vnto the, before thou begynneſt to appeare nomore: There ſhal none after yͤ atteyne vnto thy tyme.

    The dayes of the yeeres of my pilgrimage are an hundred ⁊ thirtie yeres: few and euill haue the dayes of the yeeres of my life bene, and haue not attained vnto the dayes of the yeeres of the life of my fathers, in the dayes of their pilgrimage.

15. 15

    figurativeOften followed by to. Of a thing: to befall, to happen to someone.

    As for the ſoule firſt, we ſhall nede no rehearſal of any harme that by this kinde of tribulacion maye attaine thereto: but if that by ſomme inordinate loue and affectiõ [affection] that the ſoule beare to the body, ſhe conſent to ſlide frõ [from] the faith, and thereby do her harme her ſelfe.

noun

1. 1

   archaicSynonym of attainment. An act of arriving at or reaching; an act of obtaining by effort.

   —A gulf of years then severed the twain; / Till he heard—a painter of high attain— / She was dying on her domain.

2. 2

   archaicSynonym of attainment. That which is obtained by effort.

   Even Crovvns and Diadems, the moſt ſplendid parts of terrene attains; are akin to that, vvhich to day is in the field, and to morrovv is cut dovvn, and vvither'd: […]

Forms

plural

attains

past tense

attained

past participle

attained

present participle

attaining

third person singular

attains