attachment

[ uh-tach-muhnt ]

noun

1. an act of attaching or the state of being attached.
2. a feeling that binds one to a person, thing, cause, ideal, or the like; devotion; regard:

   a fond attachment to his cousin; a profound attachment to the cause of peace.

   Synonyms: devotedness, love

3. Psychology. attachment disorder, attachment theory.
   1. an emotional bond between an infant or toddler and primary caregiver, a strong bond being vital for the child’s normal behavioral and social development.
   2. an enduring emotional bond that develops between one adult and another in an intimate relationship:

      romantic attachment.

4. something that attaches; a fastening or tie:

   the attachments of a harness; the attachments of a pair of skis.

   Synonyms: connection, junction

5. an additional or supplementary device:

   attachments for an electric drill.

6. Law. seizure of property or person by legal authority, especially seizure of a defendant's property to prevent its dissipation before trial or to acquire jurisdiction over it.
7. something attached, as a document added to a letter.
8. Digital Technology. a computer or electronic file sent with an email.

attachment

/ əˈtætʃmənt /

noun

1. a means of securing; a fastening
2. often foll by to affection or regard (for); devotion (to)

   attachment to a person or to a cause

3. an object to be attached, esp a supplementary part

   an attachment for an electric drill

4. the act of attaching or the state of being attached
5. 1. the arrest of a person for disobedience to a court order
   2. the lawful seizure of property and placing of it under control of a court
   3. a writ authorizing such arrest or seizure
6. law the binding of a debt in the hands of a garnishee until its disposition has been decided by the court

Other Words From

• nonat·tachment noun
• over·at·tachment noun
• preat·tachment noun
• reat·tachment noun
• self-at·tachment noun
• super·at·tachment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of attachment¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English attachement “detention, distraint, seizure,” from Anglo-French; attach, -ment

Synonym Study

See addition.

Example Sentences

Dr Louise Goddard-Crawley is a psychologist specialising in attachment and relationships.

From BBC

It’s unfair to say I’m obliged to open an email and open an attachment and read it.”

From BBC

What seems to unite them is a yearning for spiritual fulfilment, as well as an attachment to the idea of cleaner, organic production.

From BBC

Allan said he was diagnosed with an attachment disorder after watching his mother die in a car accident when he was three.

From BBC

Yet the discourse around pop music — specifically regarding the fraught parasocial attachment linking star and stan — has changed since the mid-2010s.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• affinity
• devotion
• friendship
• loyalty