Etymologically
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attente

Etymology and origin of the French word attente

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1050, Vie de saint Alexis
Inherited from
Latin *attendita via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (attendō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.tɑ̃t/[1]

Forms

attente f (plural attentes)[1] Old French atente;[2][3] attente is recorded from 1567.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French atente, inherited from Vulgar Latin *attendita, the feminine of a past participle of attendō (“to stretch towards, pay attention to”) that replaced classical attenta and had disappeared before the first French texts.[4][5][2] It is the noun of attendre.[4] Littré compares Old Occitan atenda and atenta.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It appears about 1050 in the Vie de saint Alexis.[7][5] Thirteenth-century texts use it for a delay, as in n'i firent longue atente (Berte), and for expectation, as in Beaumanoir's sans attente de secours.[6]

Semantic evolution

From the start it named both the time spent waiting and the state of mind of someone who expects something; in the 15th century it could also mean attention or study.[6][7] It entered set phrases: pierre d'attente, a toothing stone left for a future wall (1676), salle d'attente, the waiting room of a station or a doctor, and course d'attente in cycling (1860).[4][6][7] Contre toute attente means contrary to all expectations.[8] Attentisme and attentiste, for a wait-and-see policy, were formed about 1918.[4] In aviation the circuit d'attente is the holding pattern of planes before landing.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – Atente in the Vie de saint Alexis.[7]
  • 13th century – Delay and expectation, in Berte and Beaumanoir.[6]
  • 1567 – The spelling attente.[2]
  • 1676 – Pierre d'attente.[4]
  • 1860 – Course d'attente in cycling.[4]
  • c. 1918 – Attentisme, attentiste.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act of waiting; the time one waits: deux heures d'attente, l'attente n'a pas été longue.[3][8]
  2. Salle, salon d'attente: a waiting room, liste d'attente, a waiting list, en attente, on hold.[3][9]
  3. The state of expecting something; expectation, hope: répondre à l'attente générale, contre toute attente.[7][8]
  4. (aviation) Circuit d'attente: a holding pattern.[8]
  5. (military) A shoulder-strap insignia.[1]

Word family

  • attentisme
  • attentiste

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b c d e Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Attente.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/attente. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·