Meanings
comparative more attern · superlative most attern
- UKdialectalCruel; fierce; ill-natured.
Origin
- Proto-West Germanic*aittrīn“poisonous”
- Old Englishǣtren“poisoned, poisonous, venomous”
- Middle Englishattern
- Englishattern
From Middle English attern, from Old English ǣtren (“poisoned, poisonous, venomous”), from Proto-West Germanic *aittrīn (“poisonous”). Equivalent to atter + -en.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with attern
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
attern. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/attern
“attern.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/attern. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “attern,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/attern.
Source: attern on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.