intend
/ɪnˈtɛnd/
verb
Origin
Latin
intendere — to stretch out, to strain, to direct the attention
Overview
Meaning Now
- To have as a plan, purpose, or goal; to design or mean for a particular purpose.
Literal older meaning
to stretch towards, to direct the mind towards
Language path
Latin → Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
entenden
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The word stems from the Latin 'intendere', which implies a physical act of stretching one's focus or mind toward an object, metaphorically evolving into the modern sense of having a mental plan or purpose.
Evolution
- Latin
intendere
“to stretch towards, to direct the mind”
From in- 'towards' + tendere 'to stretch'
- Old French
entendre
“to pay attention to, to direct one's mind to”
- Middle English
entenden
“to intend, to mean, to pay attention”
Adopted into Middle English from Old French
Connections
Word parts
in-
prefix
towards
tend
root
to stretch
Related across languages
French
entendre
to hear, to understand
Spanish
entender
to understand
Explore next
Related to intend
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.