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Origin and history of intent

intent(n.)

"purpose," early 13c., from Old French entent, entente "goal, end, aim, purpose; attention, application," and directly from Latin intentus "a stretching out," in Late Latin "intention, purpose," noun use of past participle of intendere "stretch out, lean toward, strain," literally "to stretch out" (see intend). In law, "state of mind with respect to intelligent volition" (17c.).

intent(adj.)

late 14c., "very attentive, eager," from Latin intentus "attentive, eager, waiting, strained," past participle of intendere "to strain, stretch" (see intend). Sense of "having the mind fixed (upon something)" is from c. 1600. Related: Intently.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to intent

intend(v.)

c. 1300, entenden, "direct one's attention to, pay attention, give heed," from Old French entendre, intendre "to direct one's attention" (in Modern French principally "to hear"), from Latin intendere "turn one's attention, strain (in quest of something), be zealous," literally "stretch out, extend," from in- "toward" (from PIE root *en "in") + tendere "to stretch" (from PIE root *ten- "to stretch").

The sense of "have as a plan, have in mind or purpose" (late 14c.) was present in Latin. A Germanic word for this was ettle, from Old Norse ætla "to think, conjecture, propose," from Proto-Germanic *ahta "consideration, attention" (source also of Old English eaht, German acht). Related: Intended; intending.

entente(n.)

"an understanding," 1854, from French éntente "an understanding," from Old French entente "intent, intention; attention; aim, goal" (12c.), noun use of fem. past participle of entendre "to direct one's attention" (see intent). Political sense arose in 19c. from entente cordiale (1844); the best-known example was that between England and France (1904), to which Russia was added in 1908.

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    purpose
    c. 1300, purpus, "intention, aim, goal; object to be kept in view; proper function for which something exists," from Anglo-French purpos, Old French porpos "an aim, intention" (12c.), from porposer "to put forth," from por- "forth" (from a variant of Latin pro- "forth;" see pur-)
    intention
    late 14c., entencioun, "purpose, design, aim or object; will, wish, desire, that which is intended," from Old French entencion "intent, purpose, aspiration; will; thought" (12c.), from Latin intentionem (nominative intentio) "a stretching out, straining, exertion, effort; attenti
    aim
    c. 1300, "to estimate (number or size), calculate, count," senses now obsolete, from Old French aesmer, esmer (Old North French amer) "to value, rate; count, estimate," ultimately from Latin aestimare "appraise, determine the value of" (see esteem (v.)). The meaning in English ap
    pursuit
    late 14c., "persecution" (a sense now obsolete), also "a chase with hostile intent," from Anglo-French purseute, pursuite...Meaning "action of following briskly for the purpose of overtaking" (regardless of intent) is from mid-15c....
    leer
    1520s, "to look obliquely" (since 18c. usually implying a lustful, wolfish, malicious intent), probably from Middle English...
    insidious
    Figurative, usually with a suggestion of lying in wait and the intent to entrap. Related: Insidiously; insidiousness....
    propitiatory
    "having the power or intent to effect propitiation," 1550s, from Late Latin propitiatorius "atoning, reconciling," from propitiatus...
    purport
    early 15c., "meaning, tenor, the surface or expressed meaning of a document, etc.; that which is conveyed or expressed," from Anglo-French purport (late 13c.), Old French porport "contents, tenor," back-formation from purporter "to contain, convey, carry; intend," from pur- (from
    signification
    early 14c., significacioun, "symbolization, representation," from Old French significacion and directly from Latin significationem (nominative significatio) "a signifying, indication, expression, sign, token, meaning, emphasis," noun of action from past-participle stem of signifi
    will
    Old English *willan, wyllan "to wish, desire; be willing; be used to; be about to" (past tense wolde), from Proto-Germanic *willjan (source also of Old Saxon willian, Old Norse vilja, Old Frisian willa, Dutch willen, Old High German wellan, German wollen, Gothic wiljan "to will,

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