Attitude

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈætɪˌt͡ʃuːd/

Definitions

1. A settled way of thinking or feeling about something, typically reflected in behavior
2. A characteristic way of thinking or feeling towards something that often shapes behavior and influences responses
3. A mental position or approach toward a situation that tends to govern actions and emotions

Etymology: The most striking twist is that "attitude" once meant posture, not mood. In Medieval Latin, "actitūdō" described the way a body was arranged, and the sense of physical bearing carried over into French and then into English, where a figure in a painting could be described as having a certain attitude. The mental sense of a settled outlook came later, as writers began applying the physical image of a stance to a person's inner stance toward things. The word also has a second parent that explains its odd double life. Italian "attitudine" blended two Medieval Latin sources: "aptitūdō," meaning fitness or suitability, and "actitūdō," meaning a way of acting or a posture. French took the word from Italian, and English borrowed it from French. That shared ancestry makes "attitude" a doublet of "aptitude," two English words from the same root that split apart as they passed through different routes.

Synonyms: mindset, outlook, approach, perspective, viewpoint

Antonyms: indifference, apathy, disinterest, neglect, detachment