Goes to or is present at an event, meeting, or gathering. Also means to pay attention to or take care of someone or something.
From Latin attendere meaning 'to stretch toward, pay attention to,' composed of ad- (toward) and tendere (to stretch). The sense of being present developed from the idea of directing one's attention toward something.
School attendance laws didn't exist until the late 1800s - before then, education was optional and many children worked instead. The phrase 'attendance is mandatory' would have been meaningless to most people throughout history, when learning was a privilege rather than a right.
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