Attain, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Attained; p. pr. & vb. n. Attaining.]
Etymology: [Of. atteinen, atteignen, , OF. ateindre, ataindre, F. atteindre, fr. L. attingere; ad + tangere to touch, reach. See Tangent, and cf. Attinge, Attaint.]
1. To achieve or accomplish, that is, to reach by efforts; to gain; to compass; as, to attain rest. Is he wise who hopes to attain the end without the means Abp. Tillotson.
2. To gain or obtain possession of; to acquire. [Obs. with a material object.] Chaucer.
3. To get at the knowledge of; to ascertain. [Obs.] Not well attaining his meaning. Fuller.
4. To reach or come to, by progression or motion; to arrive at. "Canaan he now attains." Milton.
3 more senses
5. To overtake. [Obs.] Bacon.
6. To reach in excellence or degree; to equal.
Syn. -- To Attain, Obtain, Procure. Attain always implies an effort toward an object. Hence it is not synonymous with obtain and procure, which do not necessarily imply such effort or motion. We procure or obtain a thing by purchase or loan, and we obtain by inheritance, but we do not attain it by such means.
2 other Webster entries under this spelling
Attain, v. i.
1. To come or arrive, by motion, growth, bodily exertion, or efforts toward a place, object, state, etc.; to reach. If by any means they might attain to Phenice. Acts xxvii. 12. Nor nearer might the dogs attain. Sir W. Scott. To see your trees attain to the dignity of timber. Cowper. Few boroughs had as yet attained to power such as this. J. R. Green.
2. To come or arrive, by an effort of mind. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I can not attain unto it. Ps. cxxxix. 6.
Attain, n.
Attainment. [Obs.]
Shades of meaning
A person may obtain a situation by the intercession of friends, he procures a dinner by paying for it. Attain is a lofty word, pointing to some high or desirable result; a man attains the mountain summit, he attains honor or learning as the result of strenuous and earnest labor. Even that usage of attain which has been thought to refer to mere progress of time carries the thought of a result desired; as, to attain to old age; the man desires to live to a good old age; we should not speak of his attaining his dotage. One may attain an object that will prove not worth his labor, but what he achieves is in itself great and splendid; as, the Greeks at Marathon achieved a glorious victory. Compare DO; get; reach.