Dictionary / intend
intend
- verb
- from Old French
To fix the mind upon (something, or something to be accomplished); be intent upon
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “intend” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
verb
- ambitransitiveusuallyTo fix the mind upon (something, or something to be accomplished); be intent upon
He intends to go to university.
- To fix the mind on; attend to; take care of; superintend; regard.
- To strain; make tense.
- To apply with energy.
- To bend or turn; direct, as one’s course or journey.
- To design mechanically or artistically; fashion; mold.
- To pretend; counterfeit; simulate.
Older & obsolete senses (2)
- obsoleteTo stretch to extend; distend.
- obsoleteTo intensify; strengthen.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (4)
- verbhave in mind as a purpose — also: mean, think
- verbdesign or destine — also: destine, designate, specify
- verbmean or intend to express or convey — also: mean
- verbdenote or connote — also: mean, signify, stand for
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)intend
- Middle Englishintenden
- Old Frenchentendre
- Latinintendō
From Middle English intenden, entenden (“direct (one’s) attention towards”), borrowed from Old French entendre, from Latin intendō, intendere. See also intensive. Doublet of entendre.
Largely displaced native Old English myntan (“to mean, intend; to think, suppose”), whence dialectal mint.
Derivatives — words built from “intend”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “intend” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “intend” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Wiktionary’s etymology does not give a separate meaning for the earliest form of “intend”, so we don’t state one. The historical dictionary entry below shows how the word was understood in 1913.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
intend v. t. [OE. entenden to be attentive, F. entendre, fr. L. intendre, intentum, and intensum, to intend, attend, stretch out, extend; pref. in- in + tendere to stretch, stretch out. See Tend.]
- To stretch; to extend; to distend.
- To strain; to make tense.
- To intensify; to strengthen.
- To apply with energy.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
verbMeaning: To fix the mind upon (something, or something to be accomplished); be intent upon
He intends to go to university.
They evidently intended some mischief.
verbMeaning: design or destine
She was intended to become the director
verbMeaning: mean or intend to express or convey
what do his words intend?
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
intend
/ɪnˈtɛnd/ · in·tend
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
intend
/ɪnˈtɛnd/ · in·tend · verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “intend” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “intend” and what each means:
Step 4 — Original meaning
Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 5 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — intend
Origin: C. Old French (Old French entendre)
Journey: English intend ← Middle English intenden ← Old French entendre ← Latin intendō
Some derivatives: foreintend, intendable, intender, intendingly, intendment, misintend, unintending
Etymology: From Middle English intenden, entenden (“direct (one’s) attention towards”), borrowed from Old French entendre, from Latin intendō, intendere. See also intensive. Doublet of entendre.
Sources: Wiktionary “intend” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/intend#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/intend