attentif

Forms

attentif (feminine attentive, masculine plural attentifs, feminine plural attentives)^[1] Old French atentif.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French atentif, which is from Latin attentus (“attentive”) with the suffix -if.^[1][4][5] Rey makes it a derivative of the supine attentum of attendō (“to turn one's attention to”), from ad- and tendō (“to stretch”);^[6] the GLLF gives Medieval Latin attentīvus, a form Bloch and Wartburg also note in Medieval Latin, though they derive the French word from attente.^[7][8]

Like attention, it kept the sense of the Latin verb and has drifted apart from attendre “to wait” and its noun.^[6] Littré notes that Old French mostly said ententif.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Rey, the Grand Robert and Bloch and Wartburg date it to the 14th century;^[6][4][8] the GLLF and the Petit Robert give the 12th century, the GLLF citing the Roman de Troie.^[7][5] It first appears in attentif à quelqu'un “obedient to someone, heeding a superior's will”, and seems rare before the 17th century.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Said first of people, it was extended to attitudes and parts of the body, as une oreille attentive (17th century) and un œil attentif (1690), and sometimes to animals.^[6] Attentif à came to mean “careful of, mindful of”, and is also built with an infinitive.^[6][5] In Middle French attentif de could also mean “awaiting”, as in Gréban's Passion (about 1450).^[3] Its derivatives are attentivement (1542) and inattentif (1761).^[6][8]

Timeline

• 14th century – First record of attentif.^[6][8][4]
• c. 1450 – Attentif de “awaiting” in Gréban's Passion.^[3]
• 1542 – The adverb attentivement.^[6]
• 1690 – Un œil attentif is recorded.^[6]
• 1761 – Inattentif is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. attentive: listening, watching or acting with attention: un lecteur attentif.^[5][7][1]
2. Showing attention: un regard attentif.^[5][9]
3. (dated or literary) Attentif à: mindful of, careful about, concerned with: attentif à sa santé.^[5][6]
4. considerate, full of attentions toward someone: des soins attentifs.^[5][9]

Word family

• attentivement
• inattentif

Related words

• attendre
• attention
• attente
• Latin attendō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Godefroy, Frédéric (1881–1902), Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle, 10 vols., Paris: Vieweg / Bouillon
3. ^ a b c Dictionnaire du Moyen Français, version 2015 (DMF 2015), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/dmf
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
9. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette