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  2  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Attachment  \At*tach"ment\,  n.  [F.  attachment.] 
  1.  The  act  attaching,  or  state  of  being  attached;  close 
  adherence  or  affection;  fidelity;  regard;  an?  passion  of 
  affection  that  binds  a  person;  as  an  attachment  to  a 
  friend,  or  to  a  party. 
 
  2.  That  by  which  one  thing  is  attached  to  another; 
  connection;  as  to  cut  the  attachments  of  a  muscle. 
 
  The  human  mind  .  .  .  has  exhausted  its  forces  in  the 
  endeavor  to  rend  the  supernatural  from  its 
  attachment  to  this  history.  --I.  Taylor. 
 
  3.  Something  attached;  some  adjunct  attached  to  an 
  instrument,  machine,  or  other  object;  as  a  sewing  machine 
  attachment  (i.  e.,  a  device  attached  to  a  sewing  machine 
  to  enable  it  to  do  special  work  as  tucking,  etc.). 
 
  4.  (Giv.  Law) 
  a  A  seizure  or  taking  into  custody  by  virtue  of  a  legal 
  process. 
  b  The  writ  or  percept  commanding  such  seizure  or  taking. 
 
  Note:  The  term  is  applied  to  a  seizure  or  taking  either  of 
  persons  or  property.  In  the  serving  of  process  in  a 
  civil  suit,  it  is  most  generally  applied  to  the  taking 
  of  property,  whether  at  common  law,  as  a  species  of 
  distress,  to  compel  defendant's  appearance,  or  under 
  local  statutes,  to  satisfy  the  judgment  the  plaintiff 
  may  recover  in  the  action  The  terms  attachment  and 
  arrest  are  both  applied  to  the  taking  or  apprehension 
  of  a  defendant  to  compel  an  appearance  in  a  civil 
  action  Attachments  are  issued  at  common  law  and  in 
  chancery,  against  persons  for  contempt  of  court.  In 
  England,  attachment  is  employed  in  some  cases  where 
  capias  is  with  us  as  against  a  witness  who  fails  to 
  appear  on  summons.  In  some  of  the  New  England  States  a 
  writ  of  attachment  is  a  species  of  mesne  process  upon 
  which  the  property  of  a  defendant  may  be  seized  at  the 
  commencement  of  a  suit  and  before  summons  to  him  and 
  may  be  held  to  satisfy  the  judgment  the  plaintiff  may 
  recover.  In  other  States  this  writ  can  issue  only 
  against  absconding  debtors  and  those  who  conceal 
  themselves.  See  {Foreign},  {Garnishment},  {Trustee 
  process}.  --Bouvier.  --Burrill.  --Blackstone. 
 
  Syn:  {Attachment},  {Affection}. 
 
  Usage:  The  leading  idea  of  affection  is  that  of  warmth  and 
  tenderness;  the  leading  idea  of  attachment  is  that  of 
  being  bound  to  some  object  by  strong  and  lasting  ties. 
  There  is  more  of  sentiment  (and  sometimes  of  romance) 
  in  affection,  and  more  of  principle  in  preserving 
  attachment.  We  speak  of  the  ardor  of  the  one  and  the 
  fidelity  of  the  other  There  is  another  distinction  in 
  the  use  and  application  of  these  words  The  term 
  attachment  is  applied  to  a  wider  range  of  objects  than 
  affection.  A  man  may  have  a  strong  attachment  to  his 
  country,  to  his  profession,  to  his  principles,  and 
  even  to  favorite  places;  in  respect  to  none  of  these 
  could  we  use  the  word  affection. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  attachment 
  n  1:  a  feeling  of  affection  for  a  person  or  an  institution  [syn: 
  {fond  regard}] 
  2:  a  supplementary  part  or  accessory 
  3:  a  connection  that  fastens  things  together  [syn:  {bond}] 
  4:  faithful  support  for  a  religion  or  cause  or  political  party 
  [syn:  {adherence}] 
  5:  the  act  of  attaching  something 
  6:  the  act  of  fastening  things  together  [syn:  {fastening}] 

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