attaché

American  

[a-ta-shey, at-uh-, uh-tash-ey] / æ tæˈʃeɪ, ˌæt ə-, əˈtæʃ eɪ /

noun

1. a diplomatic official attached to an embassy or legation, especially in a technical capacity.

   a commercial attaché;

   a cultural attaché.

2. a military officer who is assigned to a diplomatic post in a foreign country in order to gather military information.

   an air attaché;

   an army attaché;

   a naval attaché.

3. Also attache attaché case.

---

attaché British  

/ ataʃe, əˈtæʃeɪ /

noun

1. a specialist attached to a diplomatic mission

   military attaché

2. a junior member of the staff of an embassy or legation

---

attaché Cultural  

1. A diplomatic officer attached to an embassy or consulate. Most attachés have specialties, such as military attachés, cultural attachés, economic attachés, and so forth.

---

Discover More

Some nations disguise spies as attachés.

Etymology

Origin of attaché

1825–35; < French: literally, attached, past participle of attacher to attach

Example Sentences

There he met his second wife, Maria del Rosario Casas Dupuy, a cultural attaché at the Colombian embassy and a CIA asset who would later be charged as his accomplice.

From BBC

Dreyfus, a 36-year-old army captain from the Alsace region of eastern France, was accused in October 1894 of passing secret information on new artillery equipment to a German military attache.

From Barron's

Treasury Department’s financial attaché in Beijing.

From The Wall Street Journal

Defense attaché in Moscow John Foreman said Belarus also has worked to de-escalate tensions with the West by pulling the exercises away from the border regions of Poland and took the initiative to warn Poland last week that Russian drones were crossing into Polish airspace.

From The Wall Street Journal

In his left hand, he carried an attache case.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• backpack
• briefcase
• gear
• handbag
• kit
• pack
• packet
• pocket
• pouch
• purse
• sack
• suitcase