Word of the day: Attornment

Attornment

[ə-TURN-mənt]

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, 15th century

The formal transference of something to someone else.

Examples of attornment in a sentence

"When another management company took over our apartment building, all tenants signed updated leases reflecting the attornment to the new landlord."

"Roy hired a broker to handle the attornment of his company shares into real-estate investments."

About Attornment

“Attornment” comes from the French “atorner,” meaning “to turn.”

Did you Know?

On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong was transferred from the domain of the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China. At that point, Hong Kong had been a British colony for 156 years, but in 1898, the U.K. leased Hong Kong Territory for 99 years. At the end of that lease, the attornment of Hong Kong into Chinese power occurred. However, this transfer was not total. Rather than becoming a whole part of China, Hong Kong will retain its currency, legal system, legislative system, and capitalist economy until 2047, 50 years after the original attornment was carried out.