Attempt

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /əˈtɛmpt/

Definitions

1. A deliberate effort to accomplish something, often without guarantee of success
2. An act of trying to accomplish a task or achieve a result, where success may not be assured
3. An effort made to achieve a goal or complete a task, usually characterized by uncertainty of outcome

Etymology: The verb "attempt" is a fairly transparent build: it combines "ad-", meaning "to", with "temptare", the Latin verb meaning "to try, test, or solicit," which is also the source of "tempt." In Latin, the compound "attemptare" carried the sense of trying something out, and in Middle English the word arrived in the late 14th century as "attempten," having passed through Old French "atempter." The shared root with "tempt" is a useful clue: both words grew from the idea of testing or pushing someone or something to see how it responds. The noun came into use in the 1530s, and its most dramatic sense appeared a few decades later. By 1580, "attempt" could mean an assault on someone's life, the assassination attempt, borrowing the sense of the French "attentat." The noun's main modern sense, a simple effort to succeed, grew out of this general idea of trying.

Synonyms: try, effort, endeavor, strive, bid

Antonyms: abandon, despair, give up, quit, cease