attendre French · revision 16307

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=11th century, Vie de saint Alexis|origins=la tendō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /a.tɑ̃dʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''attendre'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French [[m|fro|atendre]]; the spelling ''attendre'' is recorded from 1552.^(Grand Robert 2005)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|atendre]], [[inh|la|attendō|t=to stretch towards; to pay attention to]], formed with [[m|la|ad-]] from [[m|la|tendō|t=to stretch]].^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Wiktionary)^(FEW|25, 702a) Rey treats it as a borrowing from Latin.^(DHLF 1992) The meanings “to wait for” and “to wait” are peculiar to French: [[it|attendere]], [[es|atender]] and [[pro|atendre]] have only the Latin sense “to pay attention”.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) That sense lived on in French, especially in ''s'attendre“ “to apply oneself”, from the 13th to the 16th century (Montaigne), and explains the old link between ”attendre'' and [[attention]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is first found in the 11th century, in the ''Vie de saint Alexis'' and in the ''Chanson de Roland'': ''De Guenelon atent li reis noveles'' “the king waits for news of Ganelon”.^(GLLF 1989)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The modern senses “to stay until someone or something comes” and “to be patient” are present from the first texts, and may have developed in spoken Romance.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) An early extension, “to count on (an arrival, an event)”, is found about 1160, and ''s'attendre à'' “to expect” in 1601, Old French ''s'attendre à quelqu'un'' “to rely on someone” lasted until the 17th century.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) ''Se faire attendre'' is recorded in 1625.^(BHVF)

+

+ The past participle ''attendu'' kept the Latin sense “considered” in law (1390), whence ''attendu que'' “considering that” (1379); [[inattendu]] dates from 1613 and [[attente]] from about 1050.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) The jocular ''il est urgent d'attendre'' is recorded in the 1930s.^(DHLF 1992) Belgian French says ''attendre famille'' for “to be expecting”, and Swiss French ''attendre sur'' (1747), a calque of [[de|warten auf]].^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 11th century – ''Atendre'' in the ''Vie de saint Alexis'' and the ''Chanson de Roland''.^(GLLF 1989)^(Littré 1873)

+ * c. 1160 – “To count on, expect”.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1379 – ''Attendu que'' “considering that”.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 16th century – Last uses of ''s'attendre'' “to apply oneself”, in Montaigne.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1601 – ''S'attendre à'' “to expect”.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1613 – ''Inattendu''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1625 – ''Se faire attendre'' in a letter of Peiresc.^(BHVF)

+ * 1747 – Swiss ''attendre sur''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|wait]] for, await: ''attendre le train'', ''attendre quelqu'un à la gare''.^(Le Robert)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # Without object: to wait, be patient: ''Attendez un peu.''^(Larousse)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # To [[m|en|expect]], count on: ''attendre quelque chose de quelqu'un''.^(GLLF 1989)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Attendre un enfant'': to be pregnant.^(GLLF 1989)

+ # ''S'attendre à'': to expect, foresee: ''Je m'attendais à ce refus.''^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''En attendant'': in the [[m|en|meantime]].^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[attente]]

+ * [[attentisme]]

+ * [[attendu]]

+ * [[inattendu]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[attention]]

+ * [[attentif]]

+ * [[tendre]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}