## Etymology
From in- ('not') + attention, from Latin attentio ('attention'), from attentus, past participle of attendere ('to give heed to'), from ad- ('to') + tendere ('to stretch').

## AI Etymology
inattention comes from in- ('not') + attention, from Latin attentio ('attention'), from attentus, past participle of attendere ('to give heed to'), from ad- ('to') + tendere ('to stretch'). Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the noun sense is "lack of attention or notice; failure to concentrate", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as inattentive, attention, and attend. Its semantic neighborhood includes distraction, carelessness, heedlessness, and negligence, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin attendere and Latin tendere.

## Topics
- Mind & Cognition
- Word Formation & Derivatives

markdown

inattention

Meanings

Thesaurus

Etymology

Topics

External links

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback