attempt

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To try to do something, especially something difficult.

   They attempted to climb the mountain in winter.

2. 2
   noun

   An act of trying to do something.

   We made an attempt to cross the stream, but didn't manage it.

Common collocations

• attempt a jump Verb + noun
• attempt an escape Verb + noun

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Latin temptō Latin attemptōder. Old French atempterbor. Middle English attempten English attempt Late 14th century, as Middle English attempten, from Old French atempter, from Latin attemptō (“to try, solicit”), from ad- (“to”) + temptō; see tempt. The noun is from the 1530s, the sense "an assault on somebody's life, assassination attempt" (French attentat) is from 1580. By surface analysis, at- + tempt.

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