Attentions

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of focusing mental energies towards someone or something
2. the consideration and effort extended towards people, often to show care or interest
3. a state of being noticed or acknowledged by others, reflecting responsiveness and engagement

Etymology: The plural "attentions" is the form of "attention" used for particular courtesies, such as the polite gestures a suitor pays to someone, and it inherits the Latin verb "attendere", which means "to stretch towards" or "to give heed to". Its parts are "ad-" ("to") and "tendere" ("to stretch"), so the core image is of the mind being stretched out toward something. The noun reached English in Middle English as "attencioun", borrowed directly from Latin "attentio", a word built from that same verb. Its Latin sense already carried the idea of mental concentration, so the English noun was not a shift from a physical meaning but a faithful transfer of an existing one.

Synonyms: focus, notice, consideration, heed, awareness

Antonyms: neglect, disregard, indifference, inattention, apathy