v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Attended; p. pr. & vb. n. Attending. ] [ OE. atenden, OF. atendre, F. attendre, to expect, to wait, fr. L. attendre to stretch, (sc. animum), to apply the mind to; ad + tendere to stretch. See Tend. ] 1. To direct the attention to; to fix the mind upon; to give heed to; to regard. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The diligent pilot in a dangerous tempest doth not attend the unskillful words of the passenger. Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To care for; to look after; to take charge of; to watch over. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To go or stay with, as a companion, nurse, or servant; to visit professionally, as a physician; to accompany or follow in order to do service; to escort; to wait on; to serve. [ 1913 Webster ]

The fifth had charge sick persons to attend. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

Attends the emperor in his royal court. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

With a sore heart and a gloomy brow, he prepared to attend William thither. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To be present with; to accompany; to be united or consequent to; as, a measure attended with ill effects. [ 1913 Webster ]

What cares must then attend the toiling swain. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To be present at; as, to attend church, school, a concert, a business meeting. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. To wait for; to await; to remain, abide, or be in store for. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The state that attends all men after this. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Three days I promised to attend my doom. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To Attend, Mind, Regard, Heed, Notice. Attend is generic, the rest are specific terms. To mind is to attend so that it may not be forgotten; to regard is to look on a thing as of importance; to heed is to attend to a thing from a principle of caution; to notice is to think on that which strikes the senses. Crabb. See Accompany. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To apply the mind, or pay attention, with a view to perceive, understand, or comply; to pay regard; to heed; to listen; -- usually followed by to. [ 1913 Webster ]

Attend to the voice of my supplications. Ps. lxxxvi. 6. [ 1913 Webster ]

Man can not at the same time attend to two objects. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To accompany or be present or near at hand, in pursuance of duty; to be ready for service; to wait or be in waiting; -- often followed by on or upon. [ 1913 Webster ]

He was required to attend upon the committee. Clarendon. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (with to) To take charge of; to look after; as, to attend to a matter of business. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To wait; to stay; to delay. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

For this perfection she must yet attend,
Till to her Maker she espoused be. Sir J. Davies. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To Attend, Listen, Hearken. We attend with a view to hear and learn; we listen with fixed attention, in order to hear correctly, or to consider what has been said; we hearken when we listen with a willing mind, and in reference to obeying. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. attendance, OF. atendance, fr. atendre, F. attendre. See Attend, v. t. ] 1. Attention; regard; careful application. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Till I come, give attendance to reading. 1 Tim. iv. 13. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of attending; state of being in waiting; service; ministry; the fact of being present; presence. [ 1913 Webster ]

Constant attendance at church three times a day. Fielding. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Waiting for; expectation. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Languishing attendance and expectation of death. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The persons attending; a retinue; attendants. [ 1913 Webster ]

If your stray attendance by yet lodged. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of attending or accompanying; attendance; an attendant. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. attendant, p. pr. of attendre. See Attend, v. t. ] 1. Being present, or in the train; accompanying; in waiting. [ 1913 Webster ]

From the attendant flotilla rang notes triumph. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cherub and Seraph . . . attendant on their Lord. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Accompanying, connected with, or immediately following, as consequential; consequent; as, intemperance with all its attendant evils. [ 1913 Webster ]

The natural melancholy attendant upon his situation added to the gloom of the owner of the mansion. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) Depending on, or owing duty or service to; as, the widow attendant to the heir. Cowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

Attendant keys (Mus.), the keys or scales most nearly related to, or having most in common with, the principal key; those, namely, of its fifth above, or dominant, its fifth below (fourth above), or subdominant, and its relative minor or major. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who attends or accompanies in any character whatever, as a friend, companion, servant, agent, or suitor. “A train of attendants.” Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who is present and takes part in the proceedings; as, an attendant at a meeting. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. That which accompanies; a concomitant. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ A ] sense of fame, the attendant of noble spirits. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) One who owes duty or service to, or depends on, another. Cowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Intent. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, attends. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. OF. atendement. ] An attendant circumstance. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The uncomfortable attendments of hell. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To misunderstand; to disregard. [ Obs. ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A failure to attend; omission of attendance; nonappearance. [ 1913 Webster ]

See accommodating.
See aching.
See ailing.
See aiming.
See alarming.
See altering.
See appreciating.
See approving.
See aspiring.
See assisting.
See attempting.
See attending.
See bearing.
See befitting.
See beginning.
See believing.
See bleaching.
See bleeding.
See blemishing.
See blenching.
See blossoming.
See blushing.
See boding.
See branching.
See breathing.
See burning.
See calculating.
See ceasing.
See changing.
See charming.
See communicating.
See complaining.
See complying.
See conceiving.
See conducing.
See confessing.
See conniving.
See consenting.
See considering.
See conspiring.
See consulting.
See consuming.
See contending.
See contriving.
See conversing.
See convincing.
See dawning.
See decaying.
See delaying.
See depending.
See derogating.
See deserving.
See desiring.
See despairing.
See detesting.
See deviating.
See differencing.
See discerning.
See discording.
See discriminating.
See disobliging.
See dispensing.
See dissembling.
See dissolving.
See distinguishing.
See distracting.
See disturbing.
See doubting.
See dreading.
See drooping.
See ebbing.
See echoing.
See edifying.
See ending.
See enduring.
See engaging.
See enjoying.
See entering.
See enterprising.
See entertaining.
See envying.
See existing.
See fadging.
See fading.
See fainting.
See faltering.
See fearing.
See feigning.
See fighting.
See fitting.
See flagging.
See flattering.
See flinching.
See folding.
See forbearing.
See foreboding.
See foreseeing.
See forgiving.
See giving.
See grudging.
See harming.
See heeding.
See hesitating.
See hoping.
See hurting.
See importing.
See imposing.
See improving.
See interesting.
See intermitting.
See intoxicating.
See inviting.
See jarring.
See laboring.
See lingering.
See listening.
See loving.
See meddling.
See meriting.
See mistrusting.
See moving.
See murmuring.
See obliging.
See observing.
See offending.
See opening.
See pardoning.
See paying.
See perceiving.
See performing.
See perishing.
See pitying.
See pleasing.
See possessing.
See preaching.
See prepossessing.
See presuming.
See pretending.
See prevailing.
See prevaricating.
See profiting.
See promising.
See proving.
See quailing.
See questioning.
See reasoning.
See recalling.
See reclining.
See recurring.
See referring.
See reflecting.
See refunding.
See refusing.
See rejoicing.
See relaxing.
See relishing.
See remembering.
See repenting.
See repining.
See reproving.
See repulsing.
See resisting.
See resolving.
See resting.
See returning.
See rewarding.
See sanctifying.
See satisfying.
See searching.
See seeing.
See setting.
See shrinking.
See sinking.
See sleeping.
See slipping.
See slumbering.
See speaking.
See stinting.
See stirring.
See stooping.
See submitting.
See sufficing.
See suiting.
See surging.
See suspecting.
See sweating.
See swerving.
See sympathizing.
See tasting.
See thriving.
See tiring.
See toiling.
See trading.
See trembling.
See trespassing.
See trifling.
See vacillating.
See varying.
See walking.
See wandering.
See waning.
See wasting.
See wavering.
See weeping.
See winking.
See winning.
See withdrawing.
See withering.
See wondering.
See working.
See writing.
See yielding.
----- and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

The above classes of words are unlimited in extent, and such compounds may be formed by any writer or speaker at will from almost all the adjectives or participles in the language, excepting those which have a recognized and usual negative correspondent with the prefix -in. No attempt will be made, therefore, to define them all in this Dictionary; many will be omitted from its Vocabulary which are negations of the simple word, and are readily explained by prefixing a not to the latter. Derivatives of these words in -ly and -ness will also, for the most part, be omitted for the same or similar reasons. [ 1913 Webster ]

There will be inserted as separate articles with definitions, the following: -- [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Those which have acquired an opposed or contrary, instead of a merely negative, meaning; as, unfriendly, ungraceful, unpalatable, unquiet, and the like; or else an intensive sense more than a prefixed not would express; as, unending, unparalleled, undisciplined, undoubted, unsafe, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Those which have the value of independent words, inasmuch as the simple words are either not used at all, or are rarely, or at least much less frequently, used; as, unavoidable, unconscionable, undeniable, unspeakable, unprecedented, unruly, and the like; or inasmuch as they are used in a different sense from the usual meaning of the primitive, or especially in one of the significations of the latter; as, unaccountable, unalloyed, unbelieving, unpretending, unreserved, and the like; or inasmuch as they are so frequently and familiarly used that they are hardly felt to be of negative origin; as, uncertain, uneven, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Those which are anomalous, provincial, or, for some other reason, not desirable to be used, and are so indicated; as, unpure for impure, unsatisfaction for dissatisfaction, unexpressible for inexpressible, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

II. Un- is prefixed to nouns to express the absence of, or the contrary of, that which the noun signifies; as, unbelief, unfaith, unhealth, unrest, untruth, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Compounds of this last class are given in full in their proper order in the Vocabulary. [ 1913 Webster ]