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Dictionary / attention

attention

/əˈtɛn.ʃn̩/
  • noun
  • interjection
  • from Latin

Mental focus.

▶ Play the mastery game

1 All current definitions

Every sense of “attention” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.

noun

  1. uncountableMental focus.

    Please direct your attention to the following words.

  2. countableAn action or remark expressing concern for or interest in someone or something, especially romantic interest.

    She attended her sickbed; her watchful attentions triumphed over the malignity of the distemper.1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter 3, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Har

  3. uncountableA state of alertness in the standing position.

    The company will now come to attention.

  4. uncountableA kind of prioritisation technique in neural networks that assigns soft weights between tokens from two (or more) input sequences in order to compute the required output.

    The attention mechanism is an important part of these models and plays a very crucial role. Before Transformer models, the attention mechanism was proposed as a helper for improving conventional DL models such as RNNs.2021, Savas Yildirim, Meysam Asgari-Chenaghlu, Mastering Transformers […] , Packt Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 26:

Wiktionary: “attention” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

interjection

  1. Used as a command to bring soldiers to the attention position.
  2. A call for people to be quiet/stop doing what they are presently doing and pay heed to what they are to be told or shown.
Wiktionary: “attention” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross-check: WordNet senses (6)
  1. nounthe process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others — also: attending
  2. nounthe work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something — also: care, aid, tending
  3. nouna general interest that leads people to want to know more
  4. nouna courteous act indicating affection
  5. nounthe faculty or power of mental concentration
  6. nouna motionless erect stance with arms at the sides and feet together; assumed by military personnel during drill or review
Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License

Synonyms: advertence, advertency, attention, consideration, heed, heedfulness, mark, mind, note, notice, observance, observation

Antonyms: apathy, inattention, neglect, oversight

Wiktionary: “attention” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

2 History of the word

The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)attention
  2. Middle Englishattencioun
  3. Latinattentio
  4. Latinattendere

From Middle English attencioun, borrowed from Latin attentio, attentionis, from attendere, past participle attentus (“to attend, give heed to”); see attend. Equivalent to attend + -tion.

Wiktionary: “attention” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Derivatives — words built from “attention”

attentionalattention-grabbingattentionlessattention-seekerattention-seekingcross-attentiondisattentionhyperattentionmeta-attentionnonattentionoverattentionpreattentionself-attentionunattentionunderattention

Phrases & compounds

at attentionattention deficit disorderattention deficit hyperactivity disorderattention-deficit hyperactivity disorderattention economyattention getterattention lineattention seekerattention spanattention whoreattract attentioncare and attentioncenter of attentioncentre of attentiondraw attentionpay attentionsnap to attentionstand at attentionstand to attentionthank you for your attention to this matter

Related terms

attentiveheads up!notablepay attentionponder
Wiktionary: “attention” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Want to go deeper? See also “attention” on Etymonline ↗

3 Original language

Where “attention” came from before it was English.

Came into English from
Latin
Latin attentio
Oldest written form
Latin
Latin attendere
Wiktionary: “attention” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

4 Original meaning

What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.

Wiktionary’s etymology does not give a separate meaning for the earliest form of “attention”, so we don’t state one. The historical dictionary entry below shows how the word was understood in 1913.

Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913

A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.

attention n. [L. attentio: cf. F. attention.]

  1. The act or state of attending or heeding; the application of the mind to any object of sense, representation, or thought; notice; exclusive or special consideration; earnest consideration, thought, or regard; obedient or affectionate heed; the supposed power or faculty of attending.
  2. An act of civility or courtesy; care for the comfort and pleasure of others; as, attentions paid to a stranger.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), public domain, via GCIDE

5 Use it with confidence

Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.

nounMeaning: Mental focus.

Please direct your attention to the following words.

Lesper Killey was at her shoulder, jerking at the wash-faded denim of her jumper to get her attention.1959, Mari Sandoz, “Bone Joe and the Smokin' Woman”, in Hostiles and Friendlies: Selected Short Writings:

nounMeaning: An action or remark expressing concern for or interest in someone or something, especially romantic interest.

She attended her sickbed; her watchful attentions triumphed over the malignity of the distemper.1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter 3, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Har

For some time past I have been the recipient of very marked attentions from a young lady.1910, Stephen Leacock, “How to Avoid Getting Married,”, in Literary Lapses:

nounMeaning: A state of alertness in the standing position.

The company will now come to attention.

nounMeaning: A kind of prioritisation technique in neural networks that assigns soft weights between tokens from two (or more) input sequences in order to compute the required output.

The attention mechanism is an important part of these models and plays a very crucial role. Before Transformer models, the attention mechanism was proposed as a helper for improving conventional DL models such as RNNs.2021, Savas Yildirim, Meysam Asgari-Chenaghlu, Mastering Transformers […] , Packt Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 26:

nounMeaning: the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

the old car needs constant attention

nounMeaning: a general interest that leads people to want to know more

She was the center of attention

nounMeaning: a courteous act indicating affection

she tried to win his heart with her many attentions

nounMeaning: the faculty or power of mental concentration

keeping track of all the details requires your complete attention

Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License
Wiktionary: “attention” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Three steps to owning it

  1. Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
  2. Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
  3. Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?

6 The mastery game

Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.

Step 1 of 8

Say it, then spell it

attention

/əˈtɛn.ʃn̩/

Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.

Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________

attention

/əˈtɛn.ʃn̩/ · noun, interjection

Step 1 — Say it and write it

Say “attention” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.

Step 2 — Know every meaning

Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.

1. (noun) Mental focus.
2. (noun) An action or remark expressing concern for or interest in someone or something, especially romantic interest.
3. (noun) A state of alertness in the standing position.
4. (noun) A kind of prioritisation technique in neural networks that assigns soft weights between tokens from two (or more) input sequences in order to compute the required output.
5. (interjection) Used as a command to bring soldiers to the attention position.

Step 3 — Which meaning is it?

“Please direct your attention to the following words.”

A. Mental focus.
B. A kind of prioritisation technique in neural networks that assigns soft weights between tokens from two (or more) input sequences in order to compute the required output.
C. A call for people to be quiet/stop doing what they are presently doing and pay heed to what they are to be told or shown.

Circle the meaning used.

“The company will now come to attention.”

A. A state of alertness in the standing position.
B. A kind of prioritisation technique in neural networks that assigns soft weights between tokens from two (or more) input sequences in order to compute the required output.
C. Used as a command to bring soldiers to the attention position.

Circle the meaning used.

Step 4 — History and origin

Which language did “attention” come into English from?   A. Latin  B. Old French  C. Anglo-Norman  D. Ancient Greek

Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):

Write three words built from “attention” and what each means:

Step 5 — Original meaning

Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?

How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?

Step 6 — Use it yourself

Write a sentence using “attention” to mean: Mental focus.
Write a sentence using “attention” to mean: An action or remark expressing concern for or interest in someone or something, especially romantic interest.
Write a sentence using “attention” to mean: A state of alertness in the standing position.

☐ I can explain its meanings   ☐ I know its history   ☐ I know its original language   ☐ I know its original meaning   ☐ I can use it confidently

Answer key — attention

Which meaning, sentence 1: A. Mental focus.

Which meaning, sentence 2: A. A state of alertness in the standing position.

Origin: A. Latin (Latin attentio)

Journey: English attention ← Middle English attencioun ← Latin attentio ← Latin attendere

Some derivatives: attentional, attention-grabbing, attentionless, attention-seeker, attention-seeking, cross-attention, disattention, hyperattention

Etymology: From Middle English attencioun, borrowed from Latin attentio, attentionis, from attendere, past participle attentus (“to attend, give heed to”); see attend. Equivalent to attend + -tion.

Sources: Wiktionary “attention” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/attention#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/attention