English Dictionary

ATTACHMENT

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

IPA (US): 

 Dictionary entry overview: What does attachment mean? 

ATTACHMENT (noun)
  The noun ATTACHMENT has 7 senses:

1. a feeling of affection for a person or an institutionplay

2. a supplementary part or accessoryplay

3. a writ authorizing the seizure of property that may be needed for the payment of a judgment in a judicial proceedingplay

4. a connection that fastens things togetherplay

5. faithful support for a cause or political party or religionplay

6. the act of attaching or affixing somethingplay

7. the act of fastening things togetherplay

  Familiarity information: ATTACHMENT used as a noun is common.


 Dictionary entry details 


ATTACHMENT (noun)


Sense 1

Meaning:

A feeling of affection for a person or an institution

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

attachment; fond regard

Hypernyms ("attachment" is a kind of...):

affection; affectionateness; fondness; heart; philia; tenderness; warmheartedness; warmness (a positive feeling of liking)

Derivation:

attach (create social or emotional ties)


Sense 2

Meaning:

A supplementary part or accessory

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("attachment" is a kind of...):

add-on; addition; improver (a component that is added to something to improve it)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "attachment"):

hood; lens hood (a tubular attachment used to keep stray light out of the lens of a camera)


Sense 3

Meaning:

A writ authorizing the seizure of property that may be needed for the payment of a judgment in a judicial proceeding

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("attachment" is a kind of...):

judicial writ; writ ((law) a legal document issued by a court or judicial officer)

Domain category:

jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)

Derivation:

attach (take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority)


Sense 4

Meaning:

A connection that fastens things together

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

attachment; bond

Hypernyms ("attachment" is a kind of...):

connecter; connection; connective; connector; connexion (an instrumentality that connects)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "attachment"):

ligament (any connection or unifying bond)

Derivation:

attach (be attached; be in contact with)

attach (become attached)


Sense 5

Meaning:

Faithful support for a cause or political party or religion

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

adherence; adhesion; attachment

Context example:

the adhesion of Seville was decisive

Hypernyms ("attachment" is a kind of...):

support (aiding the cause or policy or interests of)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "attachment"):

ecclesiasticism (excessive adherence to ecclesiastical forms and activities)

cabalism; kabbalism (adherence to some extreme traditional theological concept or interpretation)

royalism (adherence or attachment to a monarchy or to the principle of monarchal government)

traditionalism (adherence to tradition (especially in cultural or religious matters))

Derivation:

attach (create social or emotional ties)


Sense 6

Meaning:

The act of attaching or affixing something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

affixation; attachment

Hypernyms ("attachment" is a kind of...):

combination; combining; compounding (the act of combining things to form a new whole)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "attachment"):

graft; grafting (the act of grafting something onto something else)

Derivation:

attach (cause to be attached)


Sense 7

Meaning:

The act of fastening things together

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

attachment; fastening

Hypernyms ("attachment" is a kind of...):

connection; connexion; joining (the act of bringing two things into contact (especially for communication))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "attachment"):

bonding; soldering (fastening firmly together)

doweling (fastening by dowels)

earthing; grounding (fastening electrical equipment to earth)

linkage (the act of linking things together)

ligature; tying (the act of tying or binding things together)

welding (fastening two pieces of metal together by softening with heat and applying pressure)

fixation (the activity of fastening something firmly in position)

Derivation:

attach (cause to be attached)


 Context examples 


By induction of conjugation, transport, oxidation, and/or proteolysis, Adhesion Factor Degradation consists of breakdown of members of the class of cell surface proteins involved in cell-cell or cell-matrix attachment.

(Adhesion Factor Degradation Process, NCI Thesaurus)

Due to the acidic environment near the nucleus, the dox was cleaved from its attachment to the poly(L-glutamic acid).

(Injectable nanoparticles deliver cancer therapy in mice, NIH)

Time will generally lessen the interest of every attachment not within the daily circle—but that is not the change I had in view for you.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

AL721 removes cholesterol from outer cell membranes, increases membrane fluidity, and impairs virus attachment to cell receptors.

(AL721, NCI Thesaurus)

This black titanium while being bactericidal does not compromise eukaryotic cell attachment which is important for the integration of the implant with bones and tissues.

(Nanopillars help orthopaedic implants resist infection, SciDev.Net)

Dr Foley says there may be a number of factors that contribute to low levels of attachment with the baby during pregnancy.

(Mother’s attitude towards baby during pregnancy may have implications for child’s development, University of Cambridge)

Vintana's skull has an unusual shape, with deep, huge eye sockets, and long, scimitar-shaped flanges for attachment of massive chewing muscles.

(Scientists discover fossil of bizarre groundhog-like mammal on Madagascar, NSF)

One step that's crucial is aminoacylation, the attachment of amino acids to their proper tRNAs.

(Genes Can be Read in Different Ways, NIH, US)

These cancer stem cells undergo anchorage-independent growth, also known as growth in suspension, without any tissue attachment.

(‘Energetic Cancer Cells’ May Be Origin of Cancer Spread, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

It was plain that he could have no serious views, no true attachment, by fixing himself in a situation which he must know she would never stoop to.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"Life's a bleach and then you dye." (English proverb)

"Do not start your worldly life too late; do not start your religious life too early." (Bhutanese proverb)

"He who was left by the bald is taken by the hairy." (Arabic proverb)

"Some work, others merely daydream." (Corsican proverb)



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