Etimology
From Middle English attourne, from Old French atorné, masculine singular past participle of atorner, atourner, aturner ("to attorn", in the sense of "one appointed or constituted").
noun
attorney (plural attorneys or (obsolete) attornies)
(US) A lawyer; one who advises or represents others in legal matters as a profession.
(UK, dated, 19th century and earlier) One such who practised in the courts of the common law.
(UK, 20th century and later, rare, usually derogatory) A solicitor.
(obsolete outside set phrases) An agent or representative authorized to act on someone else's behalf.
(Philippines, sometimes US) An honorific given to lawyers and notaries public, or those holders by profession who also do other jobs. Usually capitalized or abbreviated as Atty.
Clusia spp.
A prosecutor
Examples
Coordinate terms: proctor, solicitor
Related words
synonyms
mouthpiece (slang)
advocate
verb
attorney (third-person singular simple present attorneys, present participle attorneying, simple past and past participle attorneyed)
(intransitive, rare) To work as a legal attorney.
(transitive, rare) To provide with a legal attorney.