English
intention
Intention comes from Latin intentiō ‘strain, tension’, from intendō ‘to stretch out’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *téndeti.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*téndetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tendō‘to stretch’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtendō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEintendō‘to stretch out’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEintentiō‘strain, tension’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400entencion
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600entention
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500entencioun‘Intent’
- Englishearliest quotation 1689intention
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*téndetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tendō‘to stretch’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtendō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEintendō‘to stretch out’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEintentiō‘strain, tension’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400entencion
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600entention
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500entencioun‘Intent’
- Englishearliest quotation 1689intention
Earliest quotation: 1689, London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt: “it is attention: when the mind with great earnestness,…”
A compound of *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’ + *tend- ‘to stretch, extend’
Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’
Proto-Indo-European *tend- ‘to stretch, extend’
Linked words
through Proto-Italic *tendō ‘to stretch’
pretend, extend, attendance, tender, hypertension, contend, pretense, hypotension, portend, pretension, inattention, 29 more
through Latin tendō
extensive, attention, tend, extent, extension, tense, tension, tempt, contention, tensor, tensile, extensible, portent, détente, detent, 42 more
through Latin intendō ‘to stretch out’
Today it means
noun A course of action that a person intends to follow.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *téndeti / intention