attaindre

Attaindre is a rarely attested or archaic French verb that appears as a variant of atteindre, meaning to reach or to attain, and in some senses to hit or affect. In modern standard French, the primary and accepted form is atteindre. Attaindre is generally confined to older or literary texts and is not used in contemporary everyday language.

Etymology and history

Attaindre is believed to derive from the same root as atteindre, ultimately linked to Latin attingere, with the same core sense of touching, reaching, or arriving at a target. The form likely arose in Early Modern French through phonetic variation or spelling practices and gradually fell out of regular use as standard spelling and vocabulary consolidated around atteindre. Today it is typically regarded as obsolete or literary.

Usage and meaning

When found, attaindre conveys the same broad meanings as atteindre: to reach a goal or destination, to arrive at a place, to attain a level or status, and in some senses to affect or strike, depending on context. Because it is not part of contemporary standard French, attestations are primarily of historical interest or found in stylistic or regional texts. In modern editing and writing, attai is usually replaced by atteindre.

Multilingual note

In French dictionaries and grammars, attaindre is usually labeled as obsolete or rare, with atteindre presented as the normative form. Learners and writers contemporary to French usage should rely on atteindre for current practice, while attaindre may appear in studies of historical texts or discussions of spelling variation. See also atteindre.