entry
attitude
/ˈætɪtud/A posture, mindset, or habitual way of responding
From Latin apt- (fit).
from Latin aptō and actitō. Doublet of aptitude.
from Medieval Latin aptitūdō (“aptitude”) and actitūdō (“acting, posture”)
from Italian attitudine "disposition, posture," also "aptness, promptitude,"
+1 more sourcefrom French attitude
from French attitude
Word Ancestry
from Latin aptō and actitō. Doublet of aptitude.
from Medieval Latin aptitūdō (“aptitude”) and actitūdō (“acting, posture”)
from Italian attitudine "disposition, posture," also "aptness, promptitude,"
+1 more sourcefrom French attitude
from French attitude
In the 1660s, attitude entered English wearing a very specific costume: it was an artist’s word for the pose of a statue or painted figure. A sculptor could arrange a saint with an attitude of prayer, grief, or triumph, and viewers were expected to read the body like a sentence. The trail runs through Italian attitudine and French attitude back to Medieval Latin aptitūdō, related to Latin aptō, “I fit” or “make suitable”—the same family that gives us aptitude. So an attitude was originally a fitting arrangement of limbs before it became a fitting arrangement of opinions. By 1837, it could mean a settled way of behaving or thinking; by 1962, slang had sharpened it into “hostile disposition,” giving us the familiar warning that someone has “an attitude.”
The Story
In the 1660s, attitude entered English wearing a very specific costume: it was an artist’s word for the pose of a statue or painted figure. A sculptor could arrange a saint with an attitude of prayer, grief, or triumph, and viewers were expected to read the body like a sentence. The trail runs through Italian attitudine and French attitude back to Medieval Latin aptitūdō, related to Latin aptō, “I fit” or “make suitable”—the same family that gives us aptitude. So an attitude was originally a fitting arrangement of limbs before it became a fitting arrangement of opinions. By 1837, it could mean a settled way of behaving or thinking; by 1962, slang had sharpened it into “hostile disposition,” giving us the familiar warning that someone has “an attitude.”
Modern Usage
A hostile, defiant, or uncooperative manner
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries describing hostile disposition and coaches’ criticism of behavior
Kin & Kindred
From 'apt-'·fit, suitable, disposed, or placed appropriately
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary