attend

Etymology 1

From Middle English attenden, atenden, from Old French atendre (“to attend, listen”), from Latin attendere (“to stretch toward, give heed to”), from ad (“to”) + tendere (“to stretch”); see tend and compare attempt.

verb

1. (archaic, transitive) To listen to (something or someone); to pay attention to; regard; heed.
2. (archaic, intransitive) To listen (to, unto).
   'Now attend to me,' said Painted Jaguar, 'because this is very important. […] 1912, Rudyard Kipling, The Beginning of the Armadillos
3. (intransitive) To turn one's consideration (to); to deal with (a task, problem, concern etc.), to look after.
   Secretaries attend to correspondence.
4. (transitive, intransitive) To wait upon as a servant etc.; to accompany to assist (someone).
   Valets attend to their employer's wardrobe.
   Servants attend the king day and night.
5. (transitive) To be present at (an event or place) in order to take part in some action or proceedings; to regularly go to (an event or place).
   Children must attend primary school.
   I attended a one-room school next door to the palace and studied English, Xhosa, history and geography. 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus, published 2010, page 20
6. (intransitive, law) To go to (a place) for some purpose (with at).
   Around 12:15 a.m. patrolling officers Tremblay and Mathieu attended at the appellant’s home. 2011, Supreme Court of Canada, R. v. Côté, retrieved 2016-05-08
   There were a few errors in the testimony of [a civilian witness] which the trial judge noted – one, that they attended at the Fairhurst residence the day before the robbery, and two, that Wakelin was with them. 2016, Prince Edward Island Court of Appeal, R. v. Yeo, retrieved 2016-05-08
7. To be present with; to accompany; to be united or consequent to.
   a measure attended with ill effects
   What cares must then attend the toiling swain. 1697, John Dryden, The Georgics
   The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite. There is something humiliating about it.[…]Can those harmless but refined fellow-diners be the selfish cads whose gluttony and personal appearance so raised your contemptuous wrath on your arrival? 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest
8. To wait for; to await; to remain, abide, or be in store for.

Etymology 2

From Middle English attenden, atenden, from Old English ātendan (“to set on fire, kindle, inflame, trouble, perplex”), equivalent to a- + tend.

verb

1. Alternative form of atend ("to kindle").