| attar of rose | Synonym: rose oil, oil of rose. Origin: Pers. Attara, to smell sweet (05 Mar 2000) |
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| attempt | 1. To make trial or experiment of; to try; to endeavor to do or perform (some action); to assay; as, to attempt to sing; to attempt a bold flight. "Something attempted, something done, Has earned a night's repose." (Longfellow) 2. To try to move, by entreaty, by afflictions, or by temptations; to tempt. "It made the laughter of an afternoon That Vivien should attempt the blameless king." (Thackeray) 3. To try to win, subdue, or overcome; as, one who attempts the virtue of a woman. "Dear sir, of force I must attempt you further: Take some remembrance of us, as a tribute." (Shak) 4. To attack; to make an effort or attack upon; to try to take by force; as, to attempt the enemy's camp. "Without attempting his adversary's life." (Motley) Synonym: See Try. Origin: OF. Atenter, also spelt atempter, F. Attenter, fr. L. Attentare to attempt; ad + tentare, temptare, to touch, try, v. Intens. Of tendere to stretch. See Tempt, and cf. Attend. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| attend | 1. To direct the attention to; to fix the mind upon; to give heed to; to regard. "The diligent pilot in a dangerous tempest doth not attend the unskillful words of the passenger." (Sir P. Sidney) 2. To care for; to look after; to take charge of; to watch over. 3. To go or stay with, as a companion, nurse, or servant; to visit professionally, as a physician; to accompany or follow in order to do service; to escort; to wait on; to serve. "The fifth had charge sick persons to attend." (Spenser) "Attends the emperor in his royal court." (Shak) "With a sore heart and a gloomy brow, he prepared to attend William thither." (Macaulay) 4. To be present with; to accompany; to be united or consequent to; as, a measure attended with ill effects. "What cares must then attend the toiling swain." (Dryden) 5. To be present at; as, to attend church, school, a concert, a business meeting. 6. To wait for; to await; to remain, abide, or be in store for. "The state that attends all men after this." (Locke) "Three days I promised to attend my doom." (Dryden) Synonym: To Attend, Mind, Regard, Heed, Notice. Attend is generic, the rest are specific terms. To mind is to attend so that it may not be forgotten; to regard is to look on a thing as of importance; to heed is to ~ to a thing from a principle of caution; to notice is to think on that which strikes the senses. See Accompany. Origin: OE. Atenden, OF. Atendre, F. Attendre, to expect, to wait, fr. L. Attendre to stretch, (sc. Animum), to apply the mind to; ad + tendere to stretch. See Tend. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| attending | In psychology, an aroused readiness to percieve, as in listening or looking; focusing of sense organs is sometimes involved. Origin: L. Attendo, to bend to, notice (05 Mar 2000) |
| attending physician | Physician responsible for the care of a patient, physician supervising the care of patients by interns, residents, and/or medical students. A doctor who has completed internship and residency. Family physician, a physician who specialises in family practice. Osteopathic physician, a practitioner of osteopathy. Synonym: osteopath. (05 Mar 2000) |
| attending staff | Physicians and surgeons who are members of a hospital staff and regularly attend their patients at the hospital; may also supervise and teach house staff, fellows, and medical students. (05 Mar 2000) |
| attending surgeon | A surgical member of the attending staff of a hospital. (05 Mar 2000) |
| attention | Focusing on certain aspects of current experience to the exclusion of others. It is the act of heeding or taking notice or concentrating. (12 Dec 1998) |
| attention deficit disorder | An inability to control behaviour due to difficulty in processing neural stimuli. (12 Dec 1998) |
| attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity | A behaviour disorder originating in childhood in which the essential features are signs of developmentally inappropriate inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Although most individuals have symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity, one or the other pattern may be predominant. The disorder is more frequent in males than females. Onset is in childhood. Symptoms often attenuate during late adolescence although a minority experience the full complement of symptoms into mid-adulthood. (12 Dec 1998) |
| attention deficit hyperactivity disorder | <psychiatry> A condition seen in children where there is increased motor activity in association with poor attention span. Often treated with amphetamine medications. (27 Sep 1997) |
| attentive | 1. Heedful; intent; observant; regarding with care or attention. Attentive is applied to the senses of hearing and seeing, as, an attentive ear or eye; to the application of the mind, as in contemplation; or to the application of the mind, in every possible sense, as when a person is attentive to the words, and to the manner and matter, of a speaker at the same time. 2. Heedful of the comfort of others; courteous. Synonym: Heedful, intent, observant, mindful, regardful, circumspect, watchful. Atten"tively, Atten"tiveness. Origin: Cf. F. Attentif. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| attenuant | Making thin, as fluids; diluting; rendering less dense and viscid; diluent. <medicine> A medicine that thins or dilutes the fluids; a diluent. Origin: L. Attenuans, p. Pr. Of attenuare: cf. F. Attenuant. See Attenuate. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| attenuate | Tapering gradually. (09 Oct 1997) |
| attenuated | <microbiology, virology> To reduce the virulence (infectivity) of a pathogenic microorganism. (27 Sep 1997) |