Dictionary / intention
intention
- noun
- verb
- from Old French
A course of action that a person intends to follow.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “intention” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
noun
- countableA course of action that a person intends to follow.
My intention was to marry a wealthy widow.
- countableA goal or purpose.
The intention of this legislation is to boost the economy.
- countableA process of the healing of a wound.
When healing occurs by primary intention, the wound is basically closed with all areas of the wound connecting and healing simultaneously.2007, Carie Ann Braun, Cindy Miller Anderson, Pathophysiology: Functional Alterations in Human Health, page 49:
Older & obsolete senses (4)
- countableobsoleteuncountableTension; straining, stretching.
- countableobsoleteuncountablefixedness of attention; intentness; endeavor.
- countableobsoleteuncountableThe object toward which the thoughts are directed; end; aim.
- countableobsoleteuncountableAny mental apprehension of an object.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (3)
- nounan anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions — also: purpose, intent, aim, design
- noun(usually plural) the goal with respect to a marriage proposal
- nounan act of intending; a volition that you intend to carry out
Synonyms: aim, ambition, drive, goal, thought, intent, intention, plan, will
Antonyms: chance
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)intention
- Middle Englishentencioun
- Old Frenchentencion
- Latinintentiō
From Middle English entencioun, intention, from Old French entencion, from Latin intentiō, intentiōnem. Compare intent. Equivalent to intent + -ion.
Derivatives — words built from “intention”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “intention” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “intention” 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 “intention”, 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.
intention n. [F. intention, L. intentio. See Intend, and cf. Intension.]
- A stretching or bending of the mind toward an object; closeness of application; fixedness of attention; earnestness.
- A determination to act in a certain way or to do a certain thing; purpose; design; as, an intention to go to New York.
- The object toward which the thoughts are directed; end; aim.
- The state of being strained. See Intension.
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.
nounMeaning: A course of action that a person intends to follow.
My intention was to marry a wealthy widow.
It had been his intention to go to Wimbledon, but as he himself said: “Why be blooming well frizzled when you can hear all the results over the wireless. And results are all that concern me.[…]”1935, George Goodchild, chapter 3, in Death on the Centre Court:
nounMeaning: A goal or purpose.
The intention of this legislation is to boost the economy.
Though most of the cases here cover European encounters with non-Europeans, it is not the intention of the book to give the impression that genocide is a function of European colonialism and imperialism alone.2008 June 1, A. Dirk Moses, “Preface”, in Empire, Colony, Genocide: Conquest, Occupation, and Subaltern Resistance in World History, Berghahn Books, →ISBN, page x:
nounMeaning: A process of the healing of a wound.
When healing occurs by primary intention, the wound is basically closed with all areas of the wound connecting and healing simultaneously.2007, Carie Ann Braun, Cindy Miller Anderson, Pathophysiology: Functional Alterations in Human Health, page 49:
nounMeaning: an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
good intentions are not enough
nounMeaning: (usually plural) the goal with respect to a marriage proposal
his intentions are entirely honorable
nounMeaning: an act of intending; a volition that you intend to carry out
my intention changed once I saw her
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
intention
/ɪnˈtɛnʃn̩/ · in·ten·tion
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: __________
intention
/ɪnˈtɛnʃn̩/ · in·ten·tion · noun, verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “intention” 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 — Which meaning is it?
“My intention was to marry a wealthy widow.”
Circle the meaning used.
“The intention of this legislation is to boost the economy.”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “intention” and what each means:
Step 5 — 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 6 — 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 — intention
Which meaning, sentence 1: B. A course of action that a person intends to follow.
Which meaning, sentence 2: B. A goal or purpose.
Origin: C. Old French (Old French entencion)
Journey: English intention ← Middle English entencioun ← Old French entencion ← Latin intentiō
Some derivatives: counter-intention, intentional, intentionless, malintention, misintention, nonintention, subintention, well-intentioned
Etymology: From Middle English entencioun, intention, from Old French entencion, from Latin intentiō, intentiōnem. Compare intent. Equivalent to intent + -ion.
Sources: Wiktionary “intention” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/intention#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/intention