To aim is to direct something, such as a weapon, tool, or effort, toward a target or goal. It can be physical, like aiming a ball, or abstract, like aiming to improve your grades.
From Old French *esmer* “to estimate, value, judge,” later “to direct.” It shifted from judging where something should go to actually pointing it there.
Aim started as a mental act—estimating and judging—before it became about pointing a bow or camera. When you ‘aim high,’ you’re doing both: mentally choosing a target and directing your actions toward it.
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