Efforts to achieve or accomplish something. Tries or endeavors to do something, especially something difficult.
From Old French 'atempter,' from Latin 'attemptare' meaning 'to try, test,' from 'ad-' (toward) + 'temptare' (to handle, try). The word entered English in the 14th century with the sense of making an effort to achieve something.
'Attempt' shares its root with 'tempt' and originally meant 'to test or try' something! The legal phrase 'attempted murder' reflects this original meaning - it's testing whether you can commit murder, not necessarily intending to fail.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.