To make sad or sorrowful; to cause someone to feel sadness or melancholy.
From Latin 'tristis' meaning 'sad,' with prefix 'ad-' meaning 'to,' forming 'attristare.' This Old French-derived word was used in Middle English but is now archaic.
This beautiful archaic word appears in old poetry and literature—totally different from our modern 'sadden.' 'Attrist' sounds deeper, more elegant, almost lyrical, which is probably why poets loved using it when discussing profound grief.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.