cial tenderness; of his _attachment_ to his
church, to the old homestead, or to any persons or objects that he may
hold dear. _Affection_ expresses more warmth of feeling; we should not
speak of a mother's _attachment_ to her babe, but of her _affection_ or
of her _devotion_. _Inclination_ expresses simply a tendency, which may
be good or bad, yielded to or overcome; as, an _inclination_ to study;
an _inclination_ to drink. _Regard_ is more distant than _affection_ or
_attachment_, but closer and warmer than _esteem_; we speak of high
_esteem_, kind _regard_. Compare ACQUAINTANCE; APPENDAGE; FRIENDSHIP;
LOVE; UNION.

Antonyms:

alienation, aversion, distance, estrangement, repugnance,
animosity, coolness, divorce, indifference, separation,
antipathy, dislike, enmity, opposition, severance.

Prepositions:

Attachment _of_ a true man _to_ his friends; attachment _to_ a leader
_for_ his nobility of character; the attachments _between_ two persons
or things; attachment _by_ muscular fibers, or _by_ a rope, etc.

* * * * *

ATTACK, _v._

Synonyms:

assail, beset, combat, invade,
assault, besiege, encounter, set upon,
beleaguer, charge, fall upon, storm.

To _attack_ is to begin hostilities of any kind. A general _invades_ a
country by marching in troops; he _attacks_ a city by drawing up an army
against it; he _assaults_ it by hurling his troops directly upon its
defenses. _Assail_ and _assault_, tho of the same original etymology,
have diverged in meaning, so that _assault_ alone retains the meaning of
direct personal violence. One may _assail_ another with reproaches; he
_assaults_ him with a blow, a brandished weapon, etc. Armies or
squadrons _charge_; _combat_ and _encounter_ may be said of individual
contests. To _beset_ is to set around, or, so to speak, to stud one's
path, with menaces, attacks, or persuasions. To _besiege_ and
_beleaguer_ are the acts of armies. To _encounter_ is to meet face to
face, and may be said either of the _attacking_ or of the resisting
force or person, or of both.

Antonyms:

aid, cover, protect, shelter, support, uphold,
befriend, defend, resist, shield, sustain, withstand.

Prepositions:

We were attacked _by_ the enemy _with_ cannon and musketry.

* * * * *

ATTACK, _n._

Synonyms:

aggression, incursion, invasion, o