# attorney

Pronunciation: say "uh-TUR-nee" /əˈtɜː(ɹ)ni/

## Noun

1. A professional who practices law, giving legal advice to clients or acting for them in legal matters, including one who prosecutes a case for the state. *(US)*
   - Simple: A lawyer: someone whose job is to give legal advice and act for people, for example in court.
   - _The defendant's attorney filed a motion to dismiss the charges._
   - _Several attorneys reviewed the contract before anyone signed it._
2. An agent or representative authorized to act on another person's behalf, according to that person's instructions.
   - Simple: A person you choose to act for you and make certain decisions on your behalf.
   - _While he was serving overseas, his wife acted as his attorney, signing the lease and paying the taxes in his name._
   - _In the signed form, she named her nephew as her attorney, giving him authority to manage her money if she became ill._
3. A title of respect placed before a lawyer's name, usually capitalized and often abbreviated as Atty. *(Philippines, US)*
   - Simple: A title used before a lawyer's name, often shortened to Atty.
   - _Attorney Mendoza signed the affidavit in front of the clerk._
   - _The invitation was addressed to Attorney Patricia Vance._

## Noun

4. A legal practitioner who acted for clients in the courts of common law, in earlier British usage. *(dated, UK)*
   - Simple: In Britain long ago, a lawyer who handled cases in the common law courts.
   - _In Georgian England, an attorney prepared the pleadings for a case in King's Bench, while a barrister argued it before the judges._
   - _Country attorneys handled the debt suits of local tradesmen and sent the papers up to London._
5. A disparaging British word for a solicitor. *(rare, UK)*
   - Simple: A rude British word for a solicitor, a kind of lawyer who does office legal work.

## Verb

6. To work in the profession of a legal attorney. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To do the job of a lawyer.
7. To provide someone with a legal attorney. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To give someone a lawyer to help them.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A tropical American tree or shrub of the genus Clusia, usually called Scotch attorney or attorney tree; many species start life growing on other trees.

## Origin

The word began as atorné, the past participle of Old French atorner ("to attorn"), used for "one appointed or constituted," and English took it in as Middle English attourne.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/attorney (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).