Obs. Also 3–5 atent(e, attente. [a. OF. atente, now attente, act of attending, in various senses = Pr. atenta:—L. *attenta sb. 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, trans. 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.
a. 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.
a. 1450. Myrc, 953. Þou … Leuest also in fulle a tent How þat holy sacrament, Is I-ȝeue to mon kynne.
