attempt

Where does the word "attempt" come from? It comes from Latin attemptare, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Attempt’s story begins in Latin: attemptare meant “to try, strive.” 'ad-' plus 'temptare', to test, the root of 'tempt'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as atempter. Closely linked to 'tempt'. It reached English by 1300s as attempt. 'an attempt on someone's life' dates from the 1500s. Today, attempt means to make an effort to do something.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient attemptare "to try, strive", 'ad-' plus 'temptare', to test, the root of 'tempt'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval atempter "to try", closely linked to 'tempt'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s attempt "to try", 'an attempt on someone's life' dates from the 1500s.