attention

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈten.ʃən/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English attencioun, borrowed from Latin attentiō (“attention, attentiveness”),^[2][3][4] partly through Old French attencion,^[2] a noun of action from attentus, past participle of attendere (“to give heed to”),^[5][6] literally “to stretch toward”, from ad (“to”) and tendere (“to stretch”),^[2] the source of attend.^[3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Giving heed, directing the mind upon something: about 1374,^[8] or about 1380, in Chaucer's translation of Boethius.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Barnhart notes that Chaucer used it translating from Latin and that it was rare before the 17th century.^[3][2] “Observant care, notice” is from 1741,^[2][8] and “civility, courtesy”, including attentions paid by a suitor, from 1752.^[2][9] As a military word of command it is from 1792, and stand at attention from 1859.^[2][8] “The power of mental concentration” is from 1871,^[2] and attention span from 1903, earlier span of attention (1892).^[2] Attention-seeking is from 1961.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 1374 – giving heed (Chaucer).^[8]
• 17th century – in general use.^[2]
• 1741 – notice, care.^[2][8]
• 1752 – courtesy, attentions.^[2]
• 1792 – a military command.^[2][8]
• 1871 – the power of concentration.^[2]
• 1903 – attention span.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Concentration of the mind on something; close observing or listening.
2. The ability to concentrate.
3. Notice, consideration: bring to someone's attention.
4. Care or treatment given: medical attention.
5. (often attentions) Acts of courtesy or of courtship.
6. An upright military posture: stand at attention.

Interjection

1. A command to assume an upright military posture.

Word family

• attentional
• overattention
• attention deficit disorder
• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• attention line
• attention span

Related words

• attentive
• attend
• tend
• tension
• intention

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
8. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)