attend
Definitions
To be present at an event, meeting, or place
出席，参加；到场
To deal with or take care of something (attend to)
处理，照料（attend to）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedat- (a form of ad-, "toward") + tend (stretch) = "to stretch toward." The root sense is directing your attention toward something. To attend a meeting is to bring yourself and your mind there; to attend to a problem is to turn your focus onto it. Presence and attention come from the same stretching-toward.
Root tend still carries 40 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.attend a meeting出席会议
- 2.attend school上学
- 3.attend to处理、照料
- 4.attend a wedding参加婚礼
Example Sentences
- 1.
Over two hundred people attended the conference.
- 2.
She had to leave early to attend to a sick relative.
- 3.
All staff are expected to attend the weekly meeting.
Easily Confused
attend vs attend to — bare "attend" usually means "be present at" (attend a class). "Attend TO" means "deal with / take care of" (attend to the details, attend to a customer). Dropping the "to" flips the meaning, so watch the preposition.