attain
Definitions
To achieve or accomplish a goal through effort
达到，实现，获得（目标）
To reach a particular age, level, or condition
达到（某年龄、水平或状态）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedDespite the spelling, attain does NOT come from tenēre 'hold.' It traces to Latin attingere (ad- 'to' + tangere 'to touch'): to reach out and touch something. Through Old French ataindre the spelling drifted toward -tain, so it now looks like a 'hold' word. The true image is touching a far target with your fingertips — to attain a goal is to finally reach and touch it.
Root tain still carries 87 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.attain a goal达成目标
- 2.attain success取得成功
- 3.attain a level达到某水平
- 4.attain the age of达到……岁
Example Sentences
- 1.
Few athletes ever attain this level of fitness.
- 2.
She attained her dream of becoming a surgeon.
- 3.
You can vote once you attain the age of eighteen.
Easily Confused
attain vs. obtain vs. achieve: attain stresses reaching a high or hard level after effort (attain mastery); obtain just means to get/acquire something (obtain a permit), no struggle implied; achieve emphasizes a concrete accomplishment (achieve a goal). You attain a level, obtain an object, achieve a result.