əˈtachmənt noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English attachement, from Middle French, from Old French atachement, from atachier to attach + -ment — more at attach
1.
a. : a seizure or taking into custody (of persons or property) by virtue of a legal process
b. : the writ or precept commanding such seizure — compare garnishment
2.
a. : the state of being attached (as by affection, sympathy, or self-interest) : fidelity
attachment to a friend
attachment to a cause
b. : a feeling (as affection) that binds a person : regard
sense a growing attachment for a person
3. : a device that is attached (as to a machine) especially for doing special work
attachments for a vacuum cleaner
4. : the physical connection by which one thing is attached to another : fastening
cut the attachments of a muscle to a bone
5. : an attaching by physical connection
the attachment of a recording device to a telephone
Synonyms:
affection , love : attachment implies strong liking, devotion, or loyalty
the attachment which they all so obviously felt for him — W.S.Maugham
are not to lose their attachment to the land — Farmer's Weekly ( South Africa )
strong party attachments
an attachment to a lost cause
affection , usually having as its object a sentient thing, implies warmth and tenderness of sentiment, usually settled and regulated
a vast amount of quiet, restrained affection, of mutual confidence and respect, even of tenderness — Arnold Bennett
affection for a dog
widespread American affection for France and respect for her very special culture — E.B.George
heightened affection for the memory of the dead — W.D.Howells
love implies a feeling stronger and more intense than affection , often connoting passion
a love of parent for child
a love of man for woman
a love of God
a love of painting