Where does “intend” come from?
Intend comes from Middle English intenden, from Old French entendre, from Latin intendere, a compound of Latin in and tendere meaning "to stretch toward."
intend (English): To fix the mind upon (something, or something to be accomplished); be intent upon
Definitions
- To fix the mind upon (something, or something to be accomplished); be intent upon
Ancestry of “intend”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | intenden | — |
| 2 | Old French | entendre | to hear; to understand |
| 3 | Latin | intendere | third-person plural perfect active indicative of... |
| 4 | Latin | intendo | I stretch out; I strain; I turn my attention to,... |
| 5 | Latin | in- | un-, non-, not; in, within, inside |
| 6 | Latin | in | in, at, on, upon, from; within, while in; into,... |
| 7 | Old Latin | en | in |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |