▪ I. attend, v.
(əˈtɛnd)
Forms: 4–6 atende, 5–6 attende, 6– attend. Aphetic 4– tend.
[a. OF. atendre (mod. att-):—L. at-, adtendĕre, f. ad to + tendĕre to stretch: see at- prefix3.]
Prim. sign. To stretch to (still in OFr.); hence, to direct the mind or observant faculties, to listen, apply oneself; to watch over, minister to, wait upon, follow, frequent; to wait for, await, expect. In almost every variety of meaning it is, or has been, both trans. and intr., the latter construed with to, unto, on, upon, and having indirect passive, as: we must attend to this, this must be attended to.
I. To direct the ears, mind, energies to anything.
1. To turn one's ear to, listen to. a. trans. arch.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 21803 Qua-sum þe tale can better a-tend. 1513 Douglas æneis ii. x. Argt., Into this nixt cheptur ȝe may attend Off Priame King of Troy the fatale end. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. i. vi. 142, I do condemne mine eares that haue So long attended thee. 1715 Pope Iliad i. 510 But, goddess! thou thy suppliant son attend. 1808 Scott Marm. v. xxi, My tale Attend. |
b. intr. (Const. to, unto.)
| 1447 O. Bokenham Seyntys Introd. 3 As they shul heryn wych lyst attende. 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, iii. i. 13 Your Grace attended to their Sugred words. 1611 Bible Ps. xvii. 1 O Lord, attend vnto my crie. 1715 Pope Iliad i. 61 Thus Chryses pray'd: the favouring power attends. 1842 J. H. Newman Par. Serm. VI. xx. 318 Every one must..attend his best. |
2. To turn the mind to, give consideration or pay heed to, regard, consider. † a. trans. Obs.
| 1432–50 tr. Higden (1865) I. 47 Hit is to be attendede that alle the worlde..is diuided in to iij. partes. 1514 Barclay Cyt. & Uplondyshm. 45 If they see a fault, they will it not attende. a 1644 Quarles Sol. Recant. v. i. 22 Attend thy footsteps when thou drawest near The house of God. 1775 Trumbull in Sparks Corr. Amer. Rev. (1853) I. 5, I shall..attend your request. |
b. intr. with to.
| 1678 Gale Crt. Gentiles III. 121 Some said..that the action of sin was not from God; attending to the very deformity of sin, which is not from God. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 262 ¶9 Beauties or Imperfections which others have not attended to. 1852 M{supc}Culloch Taxation i. iv. 135 Were the justice of the case only attended to. |
† 3. to attend from: to turn the mind from, beware of. (L. attendere ab.) Obs. rare.
| c 1375 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. 1869 I. 223 [Crist] biddiþ attende from false prophetes [Vulg. Matt. vii. 15 Attendite a falsis prophetis]. |
4. To turn the energies to, give practical heed to, apply oneself to, look after. † a. trans. Obs.
| a 1400 Cov. Myst. 259 To provyde, Lord, for thi comyng, With alle the obedeyns we kan atende. 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §7 If a man attende not his husbandrye, but goo to sporte or playe. 1649 Selden Laws of Eng. ii. xiii. (1739) 69 That himself might attend his own security. 1715 Pope Iliad iii. 527 The maids..dispersing, various tasks attend. 1798 W. Taylor in Month. Rev. XXV. 578 The agriculture is every where sedulously attended. |
b. intr. with to.
| c 1315 Shoreham 82 Gode atende to my socour. c 1450 Lonelich Grail xxii. 207 Ȝif thow attenden wilt to his servise. 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W.) i. iv. (1506) 46 Unto that attendeth well the deuyll. 1833 H. Martineau Manch. Strike vi. 65 She was attending very diligently to her work. 1853 A. Morris Business vi. 127 Worldly affairs are attended to at the cost of men's salvation. |
† c. with upon. Obs.
| 1611 Bible Rom. xiii. 6 They are Gods ministers, attending continually vpon this very thing. 1689 Burnet Tracts I. 79 Captains..are not obliged to attend upon the Service. |
† d. with inf. To apply oneself, endeavour. Obs.
| 1523 Whittinton Vulg. 1 Yf a carpenter without compasse, rule, lyne, and plummet sholde attende to square tymbre. 1597 Daniel Civ. Wares iii. ii, First, he attends to build a strong conceipt Of his usurped powre. |
† e. with subord. clause. To give heed, take care, look.
| 1612 Monipennie Chron. in Misc. Scot. I. 38 The Scots were very..vigilant all night, and attended that their enemies should not escape. |
II. To watch over, wait upon, with service, accompany as servant, go with, be present at.
5. To direct one's care to; to take care or charge of, look after, tend, guard. † a. trans. arch. or Obs.
| c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. i. 511 It wol thyne oxen mende..yf thai the fyre attende. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. i. vi. 197 They are in a Trunke Attended by my men. 1641 R. B. K. Liturgy & Mass-Bk. Pref. 1 Another quarter of our walls, which to him appeared more weake and lesse attended. 1725 Pope Odyss. iii. 538 Leave only two the gally to attend. 1856 Kane Arct. Exp. II. i. 10 They attend their lamps with assiduous care. |
b. intr. with to.
| 1796 Nelson in Nicolas Disp. (1845) II. 199 This will enable me better to attend to all the services. 1850 Lytton My Novel iii. xvi, The clergyman had his own flock to attend to. |
6. trans. To apply oneself to the care or service of (a person); esp. to watch over and wait upon, to minister to (the sick). Of a medical man: To pay professional visits to (a patient).
| 1572 Forrest Theoph. 244 A bushoppe..havinge great numbers to pasture..which to his powre he attended. 1596 Spenser F.Q. i. x. 41 The fift had charge sick persons to attend. 1722 De Foe Plague 82 Hired nurses who attended infected people. 1732 Pope Mor. Ess. iii. 270 Prescribes, attends, the med'cine makes, and gives. 1832 Babbage Econ. Manuf. xv. 141 The chemist..never attends his customers. |
7. To wait upon, as servant or attendant; also, to wait upon (a personage) in obedience to an authoritative summons.
| 1469 Paston Lett. 614 II. 360 Attendid as wurshepfully as evir was Quene a forn hir. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. i. iii. 27 His companion..Attends the Emperour in his royall Court. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. ix. II. 546 The Lord Mayor and the Sheriffs of London were also summoned to attend the King. |
b. intr. To be present in readiness for service, or in answer to an authoritative summons.
| 1514 Barclay Cyt. & Uplondyshm. 47 Rebukes..For not attending and fayling of thy tide. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 539 Officious Nymphs, attending in a Ring. |
c. with on, upon (formerly of).
| ? 1499 Plumpton Corr. 135 If it please you..to appoynt fryday or satterday..I shall then attend of you. a 1547 Earl of Surrey æneid iv. (R.) And at the threshold of her chamber dore, The Carthage lords did on the quene attend. a 1674 Clarendon (J.) He was required to attend upon the committee. 1808 Scott Marm. i. viii, Twenty yeomen..Attended on their lord's behest. |
8. To follow, escort, or accompany, for the purpose of rendering services. (Used specifically of those who act as ladies or gentlemen in waiting to royal personages.) a. trans.
| 1653 Walton Angler Ep. Ded. 3 If common Anglers should attend you, and be eye-witnesses of the success. 1750 Johnson Rambl. No. 115 ¶10 Permission to attend her to publick places. 1855 Prescott Philip II, i. ii. 21 The Portuguese infanta..was attended by a numerous train of nobles. 1883 Times 13 Feb., Their Royal Highnesses..left for London this morning, attended by Mdlle. Heim. |
b. intr. with on, upon; and absol.
| 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. ii. iv. 121 Wee'll both attend vpon your Ladiship. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. v. i. 66 Trip Audry, trip Audry, I attend, I attend. 1619 Treas. Anc. & Mod. Times II. 516/2 So [the Queene] attended upon with the Nobilitie, came downe. 1801 Southey Thalaba vii. xxx, Following the deep-veil'd Bride Fifty female slaves attend. 1883 G. Macdonald Sir Gibbie II. v. 84 Attending on drunk people and helping them home. |
9. Mil. and Naut. To accompany or wait upon for hostile purposes, so as to defeat an enemy's plans. (trans., and intr. with to.)
| a 1674 Clarendon (J.) He was..strong enough to have stopped or attended Waller in his western expedition. 1804 Nelson in Nicolas Disp. (1845) V. 484 Cruizing off Cadiz for the purpose of attending to L'Aigle, and securing the approach of our Convoy. 1805 ― ibid. VII. 59 The Enemy [has three vessels of war]..If this is so, a Force is necessary of Line-of-Battle Ships and Frigates to attend them. |
10. Of things: To follow closely upon, to accompany. (Now only of things immaterial.) a. trans.
| 1615 Markham Eng. Housew. Pref., My poor prayers shall to my last gasp labour to attend you. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 422 What Cares must then attend the toiling Swain. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 449 ¶3 With a Frankness that always attends unfeigned Virtue. 1751 Fielding Amelia ii. vi. Wks. 1784 VIII. 239 Our food was attended with some ale. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. §18. 130 The loss of our track would be attended with imminent peril. |
b. intr. with on, upon.
| 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. ii. ii. 134 All feares attending on so dire a project. a 1847 R. Hamilton Rew. & Punishm. iv. (1853) 149 Destruction and misery attend on wicked doings. |
† 11. causal. To follow up, accompany, conjoin, associate (one thing with another). Obs.
| 1605 Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. xxiii. §7 [I] have also attended them with brief observations. 1748 Anson Voy. ii. xiii. 278 The Governor..had returned a very obliging answer..and had attended it with a present of two boats. 1775 Burke Sp. Conc. Amer. Wks. III. 64 We have carefully attended every settlement with government. |
12. To present oneself, for the purpose of taking some part in the proceedings, at a meeting for business, worship, instruction, entertainment. a. trans. e.g. to attend church, school, a lecture, a meeting, a funeral, the sittings of a court, also a place of worship.
| 1646 Row Hist. Kirk Introd. (1842) 17, I had bein in Edinburgh..attending his Majestie's Counsell. 1770 Langhorne Plutarch (1879) I. 177/1 Pericles also attended the lectures of Zeno. 1831 Carlyle Sart. Res. ii. iii, Andreas too attended Church. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 177 It was made a crime to attend a dissenting place of worship. 1884 Edin. Daily Rev. 18 Oct. 2/9 The meeting was attended by some of the leading agriculturists. Mod. Did you attend the funeral? To attend school regularly. |
b. intr. Const., on the proceedings (obs.), at the place.
| 1660 Stanley Hist. Philos. (1701) 35/2 [They] attended on his Funerals. 1764 Reid Wks. I. 40/1 They pay fees for the first two years, and then they..may attend gratis. Mod. He attends regularly at the City Temple. |
III. To wait for, await, expect.
13. trans. To look out for, wait for, await: † a. a person or agent, or his coming. Obs.
| 1475 Caxton Jason 30 b, They sette hem in araye..and attended frely and fast a fote the preu Jason. 1586 T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. 104 To stand still in their places, and so to attend their enimies. 1658 Sir T. Browne Hydriot. iv. (1736) 45 Contriving their Bodies..to attend the Return of their Souls. 1749 Smollett Regicide ii. i. (1777) 26 Here I attend The king—and lo! he comes. |
b. a future time, event, result, decision, etc. arch.
| 1513 Bradshaw St. Werburge (1848) 39 Attendynge oportunyte to take them in a trayne. 1642 Rogers Naaman 358 They must attend the moving of the waters. 1713 Addison Cato ii. i. 9 And Rome attends her fate from our resolves. 1866 Howells Venet. Life 128 The countryman, taking shelter at the stern of his boat, attended the shot. |
† c. ellipt. with clause: To wait to see or learn, to await the issue. Obs.
| 1589 Late Voy. Sp. & Port. (1881) 82 Attending if any strangers would unburthen them. 1699 Temple Hist. Eng., And attended what would be the Issue of this..Convulsion of the State. |
† 14. fig. (Of things.) To remain for, be reserved for, be in store for, ‘await.’ a. trans. Obs.
| 1612 Woodall Surg. Mate Wks. 1653, 3 The Trapan..onely attendeth the Fractures of the Cranium. a 1704 Locke (J.) The state that attends all men after this. 1734 tr. Rollin's Anc. Hist. (1827) I. 72 The prize attended the victor. |
† b. intr. with for. Obs.
| 1578 T. N. tr. Conq. W. India Pref. 4 Would you now in your old daies be an Emperor, considering that your Sepulchre attendeth for you? |
† 15. To look forward to, expect. a. trans. Obs.
| 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 162/2 The grete prouffite that he attended of hym. 1581 Savile Tacitus' Agric. (1622) 191 The souldier..attended an end for that yeere of his trauell. 1614 Raleigh Hist. World II. v. iii. §14. 430 The Capuans relying on..the succours attended from Hannibal. 1692 Ray Disc. ii. v. (1732) 285 So dreadful a Tempest that all the People attended therein the very End of the World. |
† b. intr. with for. Obs. rare.
| 1581 Savile Tacitus' Agric. (1622) 195 The Britans..attending for nothing els but reuenge or seruitude. |
† 16. intr. To wait, tarry, stay. Obs.
| 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 260 a, They would..attende, vntyl suche tyme as the Emperour had aduertised them. 1605 Verstegan Dec. Intell. ii. (1628) 36 Attending at the sea ports..for conuenient winds. 1736 Col. Rec. Penn. IV. 98 The two Members..now attending for an Answer. 1768 Sterne Sent. Journ. (1775) I. 30 The lady attended as if she expected I should go on. |
† b. fig. Of things. Obs.
| 1596 Edw. III, i. ii, Albeit my business urgeth me, It shall attend while I attend on thee. |
† IV. trans. To intend. Obs. [So OF. atendre, occas. for entendre. Cf. ]
| 1455 Paston Lett. 239 I. 331 They never attendyde hurt to his owne persone. 1655 W. Gurnall Chr. in Arm. ix. §1 (1669) 184/2 Very unlikely to do real good to the souls: alas, it is not that he attends. |
▪ II. † aˈttend, n. Obs. rare—1.
[f. prec.; cf. OF. atende.]
Attendance.
| 1594 Greene Look. Glasse (1861) 117 To give attend on Rasnis excellence. |
▪ III. attend
var. atend v. Obs., to kindle.
▪ IV. attend
obs. corrupt f. attaint v.