All 5 Uses
attain
in
The Gold-Bug
(Auto-generated)
- The shrub here often attains the height of fifteen or twenty feet, and forms an almost impenetrable coppice, burthening the air with its fragrance.†
*attains = gains or reaches something with effort
- In a few minutes the voice was heard again, announcing that the seventh limb was attained.†
attained = gained or reached something with effort
- At the spot thus attained a second peg was driven, and about this, as a centre, a rude circle, about four feet in diameter, described.†
- In general, there is no alternative but experiment (directed by probabilities) of every tongue known to him who attempts the solution, until the true one be attained.†
- What seems to me the chief ingenuity in this whole business, is the fact (for repeated experiment has convinced me it is a fact) that the circular opening in question is visible from no other attainable point of view than that afforded by the narrow ledge upon the face of the rock.†
attainable = able to be gained or reached with effortstandard suffix: The suffix "-able" means able to be. This is the same pattern you see in words like breakable, understandable, and comfortable.
Definitions:
-
(1)
(attain) to gain or reach something with effort
- (2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)