attaste 
attastet, ' [ME. ataste, < OF. utaxter, taste, < 
n-(L. ad) + tauter, taste: see taste.] I. trim*. 
To taste. Chaucer. 
H. intrans. To taste (of). 
Ye shullcn atatle lioth thowe and shee 
of thilki! water. /.w/v'. . 
attet. Middle English assimilation of at tin . 
Chaucer. 
Attelabidae (au-lnb'i-de), ,,. pi. [NL., < At- 
telahux + -ida:.] A family of rhynchophorous 
booties. See ylf'< /"/""". 
Attelabinse (at'e-la-bi'ne), n. ill. |NL., < Att,- 
/ulnis + -ilia:] A 'subfamily of Curculiiiniiln, 
typified by the genus Attelabus, containing 
weevils with the abdomen alike in both sexes, 
the mandibles pincer-like, the elytra without a 
fold on the inner surface, and no labium. The 
group is sometimes raised to the rank of a 
family under the name Attelabido!. 
Attelabus (a-tel'a-bus), H. [L.,< Gr. drrtto/Jof, 
Ionic arrt/U/tof, a kind of locust without wings.] 
A genus of weevils, typical of the family Attela- 
hiila: A. rhoix is a reddish pubescent species with a 
short proboscis, Infesting the hazel in the northeastern 
parts of the United States. 
attemper (a-tem'per), v. t. [< ME. attempren, 
atrmpren, < OF. atemprer, < L. attemperare, fit, 
adjust, accommodate, < ad, to, + temperare, 
control, moderate, temper: see /o/r. /. ] 1. 
To reduce, modify, or moderate by mixture : as, 
to attemper spirits by diluting them with water. 
Nobility attempers sovereignty. Bacon. 
2. To soften, mollify, or moderate: as, to at- 
temper justice with clemency. 
Those smiling eyes attemp'ring every ray. 
Pope, Eloisa to Abelard, 1. 63. 
Those [influences] which, in older and more normally 
constituted communities, modify and attemper Mammon- 
worship. The American, IV. 65. 
3. To mix in just proportion ; regulate. 
God hath so attempered the blood and bodies of fishes. 
Ray, Works of Creation. 
Pure of blame, 
In praise and in dispraise the same, 
A man of wett-attemper^d frame. 
Tennyson, Duke of Wellington. 
4. To accommodate ; fit or make suitable. 
The joyous birdcs, shrouded in chearefull shade, 
Their notes unto the voice attemprcd sweet. 
Spenser, F. Q., II. xii. 71. 
Arts attempered to the lyre. Pope. 
[In all its uses nearly obsolete, temper being generally 
used.] 
attemperament(a-tem'per-a-ment), n. A tem- 
pering or mixing in due proportions. Also at- 
temperment. 
attemperancet (a-tem'per-ans), re. [< ME. at- 
temperaunce, < OF. atemprance, < atemprer, at- 
temper. Cf. temperance.] Temperance, 
attemperate (a-tem'per-at), v. t. ; pret. and 
pp. attemperated, ppr. attemperating. [< L. 
attemperatus, pp. of attemperare, attemper: see 
attemper.] If. To attemper ; regulate. 
If any one do ... attemperate his actions accordingly. 
Barrow, Math. Lectures, iv. 
2. In brewing and distilling, to regulate the 
temperature of, as the wort, 
attemperatet (a-tem'per-at), p. a. [< L. at- 
temperatus, pp. : see the verb.] 1. Tempered; 
proportioned; suited. 
Hope must be proportioned and attemperate to the 
promise. Hammond, Pract. Catechism. 
2. Moderate; equable; mild: applied to cli- 
mate. 
attemperation (a-tem-pe-ra'shon), n. [< at- 
temperate, t).] If. The" act of attempering, 
regulating, adjusting, or accommodating. Ba- 
con. 2. The act of regulating the tempera- 
ture of the wort in brewing and distilling. 
attemperator (a-tem'per-a-tor), . [< attempe- 
rate, i'., + -or.] In brewing and distilling, a 
contrivance for regulating the temperature of 
the wort during the progress of fermentation. 
attemperlyt, See attemprely. 
attemperment (a-tem'per-ment), n. [< attem- 
per + -ment.] Same as attemperament. 
attempret, a. [ME., also atempre, < OF. atem- 
pre, pp. of atemprer, attemper: see attemper.] 
Temperate. 
Altempre diete was all hire physike. Chaucer. 
attemprelyt, '''' [ME., also attemperly, < at- 
tempre + -ly, -ly 2 .] In a temperate manner. 
Chaucer. 
attempt (a-tempf), v. t. [< OF. atempter, fit- 
tenter, moid. F. attenter = Pr. attentar = Sp. 
atentar = Pg. attentar = It. attentare, < L. at- 
temptnre, more correctly attentare, try, solicit, 
< ad, to, + temptare, more correctly tentare, try: 
371 
see tempt.] 1. To make an effort to effect or 
do ; endeavor to perform ; undertake ; essay : 
as, ton/t, -in/it :\ bold flight. 
The wise and prudi-nt conquer difficulties by daring to 
attempt them. Kuwf. 
Something attempted, something >liic 
Has earned a night's repose. 
Lung/fellow, Village lilai-ksinith. 
2. To venture upon: as, to attempt the sea. 
3f. To make trial of; prove; test: as, "well- 
iilli-iiijili',1 plate," r'dirf/ij-. 4f. To try with af- 
flictions. Jer. Taylor. 5f. To endeavor to ob- 
tain or attract. 
This man of thine attempt* her love. 
Shak., T. of A.,1. 1. 
6. To try to win or seduce ; tempt ; entice. 
He will never . . . attempt us again. 
Shak., M. W. of W., iv. 2. 
It made the laughter of an afternoon, 
t,'MI,t till' bllllnt 
Tennyson, Merlin and Vivien. 
That Vivien should ntt,-,ni,t tlu- blameless king. 
- ' 1 Viv 
7. To attack ; make an effort against ; assail : 
as, to attempt the enemy's camp; to attempt a 
person's life. 
M uster 
Our soldiers up ; we'll stand upon our guard ; 
For we shall ! tt<-,ui>ted. 
Beau, and Ft., Thierry and Thi'inloivt, i. J. 
Calumny never dared to suspect her morals, or attempt 
her character. Goldsmith, The Bee, No. 3. 
SyTL 1. Attempt, Essay, Undertake, l-',nt:,n:^\ Strive, 
Struggle, seek, aim. The italicized words agree in express- 
ing t'lie beginning of a task, physical or intellectual, which 
is difficult and often impossible. They are arranged In the 
order of strength. Attempt is to try with some effort. 
Essay is sometimes to try in order to see if a thing can be 
done or attained, and sometimes simply to attempt : as, 
"which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned," 
Heb. xi. 29. Undertake is, literally, to take a task upon 
one's self, perhaps formally, and hence to go about a task 
with care and effort. Endeavor is to try with more ear- 
nestness, labor, or exertion. Strive is to work hard and 
earnestly, doing one's best. Struggle is to tax one's powers 
to the extent of fatigue, pain, or exhaustion. The first 
three words are more appropriate for a single effort, the 
other three for continuous or continual efforts. 
None are very violent against it [writing plays in verse] 
but those who either have not attempted it, or who have 
succeeded ill in their attempt. 
Dryden, Ded. of Ess. on Dram. Poesy. 
Instinct led him [Tennyson] to construct his machinery 
before essaying to build. Stedman, Viet. Poets, p. 155. 
I will . . . undertake one of Hercules' labours. 
SAa*., Much Ado, 11. 1. 
In what I did endeavour, it is no vanity to say, I have 
succeeded. Drydm, Annus Mirabilis. 
A certain truth possesses us, which we in all ways strive 
to utter. Emerson, Clubs. 
O limed soul, that, struggling to be free, 
Art more engag'd! Shak., Hamlet, iii. 3. 
attempt (a-tempf), n. [< attempt, v.] 1. A 
putting forth of effort in the performance or 
accomplishment of that which is difficult or un- 
certain ; essay, trial, or endeavor ; effort. 
The attempt, and not the deed, 
Confounds us. Shak., Macbeth, ii. 2. 
By his blindness maim'd for high attempts 
Milton, 8. A., 1. 1221. 
2. An effort to accomplish something by force 
or violence ; an attack or assault : as, an attempt 
upon one's life. 
Foreign attempts against a state and kingdom 
Are seldom without some great friends at home. 
Ford, Perkin Warbeck, i. 1. 
3f. Temptation. 
To avoid 
The attempt itself intended by our foe. 
For he who tempts, though in vain, at least asperses 
The tempted with dishonour foul. Milton, P. L, ix 295. 
4. In law, an act done in part execution of a 
design to commit a crime. Judge May. Mere 
solicitation or preparation, without a step taken toward 
the actual commission, Is not a criminal attempt. = 8yTL 
Undertaking, effort, endeavor, enterprise, experiment. 
attemptability (a-temp-ta-bil'i-ti), n. [< at- 
temptable : see -bility.] 1" The quality of be- 
ing attemptable. 2. A thing that may be at- 
tempted. [Rare.] 
Short way ahead of us it is all dim ; an unwound skein 
of possibilities, of apprehensions, attemptabilitiet, vague- 
looming hopes. Carlyle, Heroes (1858), p. 35. 
attemptable (a-temp'ta-bl), a. [< attempt + 
-able.} Capable of being attempted, tried, or 
attacked ; likely to yield to an attempt or at- 
tack. 
Less attemptMe than any the rarest of our ladies in 
France. Shak., Cymbeline, i. 5. 
attemptatet (a-temp'tat), n. [< OF. attemp- 
tat, mod. F. dttentat: see attentate.] An at- 
tempt or endeavor; especially, a violent or 
criminal attempt or attack ; assault ; outrage. 
He called ... for redress of the attemptatt* committed 
by the Greams. Strype, Eccles. Mem., IV. 364. (JV. E. D.) 
attendance 
Fur the better defense of his highness's loving subjects 
In the same shires In case of any invasion or other atteuip- 
tnl,' llV I'Ml'.-i^M CM' B 
Snm. , :- I. . jui tr(i iii I )i \- Hi's Hint. I 'Jiiircli of Eng.,xv., note. 
attempter (a-temp'ter), n. 1. One who at- 
tempts, tries, or endeavors. 2. One who at- 
tacks or assails ; an assailant. 
Against the ./;/'./ <>f thy Father's thrum-. 
Mil!",,, l: ]!.. iv. 603. 
3f. A tempter. Miltmi. 
attemptive (ii-toinp'tiv), . [< attempt + -irr. ] 
Kciidy to attempt; enterprising; venturous. 
I III Ilil I. 
attend (a-tend'), v. [< OF. ateiulre, F. atten>t<-'. 
wait, reflex, expect, = Sp. atender = Pg. alt, - 
der=lt. attenderc, < L. attendere, stretch to- 
ward, give heed to, < ad, to, + U'Hittn; stretch: 
see tend, and cf. attempt.] I. trans. 1. To fix 
the mind upon ; listen to; have regard or pay 
heed to ; consider. [Archaic. See II., 1.] 
The diligent pilot . . . doth not attend the unskilful 
words of a passenger. Sir P. Sidney. 
The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark 
When neither is attended. Shak., M. of V., v. 1. 
Their hunger thus appeased, their care attends 
The doubtful fortune of their absent friends. 
Dryden. 
2. To accompany or be present with, as a com- 
panion, minister, or servant, or for the fulfil- 
ment of any duty ; wait upon. 
The flft had charge sick persons to attend. 
Sljenter, F. Q., I. X. 41. 
Let one attend him with a silver bason. 
Shak.,t. of the 8., Ind., 1. 
You shall have men and horses to attend you, 
And money in your purse. 
Fletcher, Rule a Wife, il. 3. 
3. To be present at or in for purposes of duty, 
business, curiosity, pleasure, etc. : as, to attend 
a meeting. 4. To accompany or follow in im- 
mediate sequence, especially with a causal con- 
nection : said of things : as, a cold attended with 
fever ; a measure attended with bad results. 
A correspondent revolution in things will attend the 
influx of the spirit. Emerson, Nature. 
5f. To wait or stay for ; expect, as a person or 
an event. 
Thy intercepter, . . . bloody as the hunter, attends thee 
at the orchard end. Shak., T. N., iii. 4. 
The trumpets, next the gate, in order plac'd, 
Attend the sign to sound the martial blast. 
Dryden, Pal. and Arc., 1. 1741. 
6f. To be in store for ; await. 
The state that attends all men after this. Locke. 
One fate attends us, and one common grave. 
Dryden, tr. of Lucretius, iii. 304. 
II. intrans. 1. To give attention; pay re- 
gard or heed: followed by to: as, my son, 
attend to my words. 
Attend to the voice of my supplications. Ps. Ixxxvi. 6. 
It will be sufficient for me if I discover many Beauties 
or Imperfections which others have not attended to. 
Addison, Spectator, No. 282. 
2. To be present, in pursuance of duty, busi- 
ness, or pleasure ; especially, act as an atten- 
dant: absolutely, or with on or upon, or at: as, 
who attends here f to attend upon a committee ; 
to attend at such a church. Hence 3. To fix 
the mind in worship: with on or upon. 
That ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. 
1 Cor. vii. 35. 
4. To be consequent ; wait : with on or upon. 
It is good that a certain portion of disgrace should con- 
stantly attend on certain bad actions. 
Macaulay, Moore's Byron. 
5t. To stay; wait; delay. 
For this perfection she must yet attend, 
Till to her Maker she espoused be. 
Sir J . Daeiet, Immortal, of Soul. 
attendt (a-tend')i " [< attend, v.] Attendance. 
Stars have made your fortunes climb so high, 
To give attend on Rasni's excellence. 
Greene and Lodge, Looking Glass for Lond. and Eng. 
attendance (a-ten'dans), n. [< ME. atten- 
daunce, < OF. atenddnce = Pr. atendensa, < 
ML. attendentia, < L. attenden(t-)s, ppr. of at- 
tendere : see attend and -ance.] 1. Tne act of 
attending or attending on. (a) The act of waiting 
on or serving ; the state of being present for purposes of 
duty, business, pleasure, etc. ; service ; ministry. 
No man gave uti, ,/:,, ; at the altar. Heb. vii. 13. 
Lindamira, a lady whose . . . constant attendance at 
church three times a day had utterly defeated many ma- 
licious attacks upon her reputation. 
Fielding, Joseph Andrews. 
The other, after many years' attendance upon the duke, 
was now one of the bed-chamber to the prince. 
Clarendon. 
(6t) Attention ; regard ; careful application of mind. 
Give attendance to reading. 1 Tim. iv. IS. 
* ) A waiting on, as in expectation. 
