Where does “attentive” come from?
Attentive comes from Middle English attentijf, from Old French attentif, from the Latin past participle attentus of attendere, meaning to apply one's mind to, formed from ad- and tendere meaning to stretch.
attentive (English): Paying attention; noticing, watching, listening,...
Definitions
- Paying attention; noticing, watching, listening,...
Ancestry of “attentive”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | attentif | — |
| 2 | Old French | attentif | — |
| 3 | Latin | attentus | detained, delayed; preserved, guarded; attentive,... |
| 4 | Latin | attineo | I bring or hold to or near; I hold fast, keep,... |
| 5 | Latin | ad- | to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it... |
| 6 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 7 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 8 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |