▪ I. attent, ppl. a.
(əˈtɛnt)
[ad. L. attentus, pa. pple. of attendĕre to attend; cf. It. attento, and OF. attentement.]
Earnestly or eagerly directed towards the perception of anything: said of the eyes, ears, mind, or whole man; intent, attentive, full of attention (to, upon).
| 1482 Monk of Evesham (Arb.) 25 For al degreys and condycyons of alle crystyn pepulle, and more attente for hys enmyes..he made meruailous prayers. 1534 More On the Passion Wks. 1346/1 Thoughte vppon with a myndefull and attent mynde. 1535 Coverdale 2 Chron. vii. 15 Myne eares shal be attente vnto prayer in this place. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. i. ii. 6 Long and vehemently attent upon Geometricall Figures. 1699 Dryden Wife's T. 310 As judges on the bench more gracious are, And more attent to brothers of the bar. 1867 Bushnell Mor. Uses Dark Th. 132 To be alive and thoroughly attent to evils about our path. |
▪ II. † aˈttent, n. Obs.
Also 3–5 atent(e, attente.
[a. OF. atente, now attente, act of attending, in various senses = Pr. atenta:—L. *attenta n., f. fem. of pa. pple. attentus (analogous to nouns in -āta): see attent a. Already in OF. confused with entente, antente, and used in senses proper to the latter, whence sense 3, the earliest and most frequent in Eng.]
1. Attention; care, heed.
| c 1450 Henryson Mor. Fab. 29 But to the end attent hee tooke no more. 1596 Spenser F.Q. vi. ix. 37 And kept her sheepe with diligent attent. 1652 Needham tr. Selden's Mare Cl. 469 After all this attent on his Majestie's part, and so long deliberation on their's. |
2. ? Expectation.
| c 1430 Seven Sages (P.) 87 And that wole do so by myn attente, That ȝe no schal nouȝt repente. |
3. Intention, aim, purpose.
| c 1230 Ancr. R. 252 Al his attente is uorte unuestnen heorten. 1376 E.E. Gilds 74 Þis ffraternite is be-gonnen in þis atent. a 1400 Cov. Myst. 4 Abraham toke with good atent His sone Ysaac. 1450 Myrc 953 Þou..Leuest also in fulle a tent How þat holy sacrament, Is I-ȝeue to mon kynne. |
▪ III. † aˈttent, v. Obs. rare—1.
[ad. L. attent-āre less correctly attemptāre: see attempt v.]
Variant of attempt. (Cf. account, accompt.)
| 1620 Quarles Feast Wormes 648 With oft-repeated labours, oft attented, They..deepely delu'd the furrow'd seas. |