Attain

Attain is a transitive verb meaning to reach or achieve something after effort or over a period of time. It can describe reaching a place, a level, or a condition, or successfully completing a goal. Common collocations include attain a goal, attain a high level, attain the age of, and attain mastery. In contemporary usage, attain often implies sustained effort; more everyday language may use achieve or reach.

Etymology and history: Attain derives from Old French atteindre, from Latin attingere “to touch, reach,” formed with ad- “toward” and tangere “to touch.” The word entered English in the medieval period and retains a formal, literary tone.

Grammatical notes and forms: Attain is typically used with a direct object (attain a goal, attain success). The present participle is attaining, the past tense and past participle are attained. The noun form is attainment, and the related adjective is attainable. The construction attain to is old-fashioned or formal; most modern usage prefers a direct object.

Usage and nuance: Attain emphasizes effort toward a result and often connotes a significant or noteworthy achievement. It is more formal than achieve or reach and may appear in scholarly, literary, or policy contexts.

See also: attainment, attainable, achieve, reach. Examples: The team attained a landmark victory after a difficult season. She attained the age of eighteen. The research project attained new funding after peer review.