United States Founding Dictionary

bill of attainder

1776 Definition:

bill

3. A form or draft of a law, presented to a legislature, but not enacted. In some cases, statutes are called bills; but usually they are qualified by some description as a bill of attainder.

attainder

1. Literally a staining, corruption, or rendering impure; a corruption of blood. Hence,

2. The judgment of death, or sentence of a competent tribunal upon a person convicted of treason or felony, which judgment attaints, taints or corrupts his blood, so that he can no longer inherit lands. The consequences of this judgment are, forfeiture of lands, tenements and hereditaments, loss of reputation, and disqualification to be a witness in any court of law. A statute of Parliament attainting a criminal, is called an act of attainder. Upon the thorough demonstration of which guilt by legal attainder, the feudal covenant is broken. Blackstone.

3. The act of attainting. An act was made for the attainder of several persons.

Note: By the constitution of the United States, no crime works an attainder.

Modern Definition:

bill of attainder

A legislative act that inflicts punishment without a trial and which is prohibited under Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution. Attainder: loss of civil liberty and rights upon conviction of a capital crime or a felony.

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