attendant
UK[əˈtendənt]US[əˈtendənt]
n
a person whose job is to serve or help people in a public place
n
a person who goes with and serves or looks after another
adj
happening at the same time as, or as a result of, something else
Morpheme Breakdown
at
tend
ant
at
to, towards, near
tend
ant
Etymology
the word 'attendant' originates from the old french 'atendant', the present participle of 'atendre', meaning 'to expect, wait for, pay attention'. this, in turn, derives from latin 'attendere', a compound of 'ad-' (to) and 'tendere' (to stretch). the literal sense of stretching one's mind towards something evolved into the meanings of giving heed or service. the suffix '-ant' denotes one who performs this action, thus an 'attendant' is literally 'one who stretches their attention towards' another, leading to the modern senses of a servant, companion, or a concomitant circumstance.
Analysis
Structure: at + tend + ant
- at- (latin ad-): a prefix meaning 'to, towards, near'.
- tend (latin tendere): a root meaning 'to stretch, strive, extend one's attention'.
- -ant (latin -antem): a suffix forming agent nouns and adjectives, meaning 'one who does, performing an action'.
Examples
the flight attendant demonstrated the safety procedures.
he was a constant attendant to the elderly king.
the economic crisis and its attendant social unrest spread across the region.