Etymologically
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attention

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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
  • 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)