at-tento (adtempto, K. and H.; at-tempto, Kayser, Rib., Halm, Queck), āvi, ātum, 1, v. a., lit., to strive after something, to attempt, essay, try, make trial of; to solicit; to assail, attack (class. in prose and poetry): digitis mollibus arcum attemptat, attempts to draw, Claud. Rapt. Pros. 3, 217: aliquem lacrimis, to attempt to move, Val. Fl. 4, 11: praeteriri omnino fuerit satius quam attemptatum deseri, begun, Cic. de Or. 3, 28, 110: attemptata defectio, the attempted revolt, Liv. 23, 15, 7 (Weissenb., temptata): omnium inimicos diligenter cognoscere, colloqui, attemptare, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 54: Capuam propter plurimas belli opportunitates ab illā impiā et sceleratā manu attemptari suspicabamur, i. e. moved by persuasion to revolt, id. Sest. 4: ne compositae orationis insidiis sua fides attemptetur, id. Or. 61, 208: mecum facientia jura Si tamen adtemptas, i. e. attempt to shake, attack, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 23: nec hoc testamentum ejus quisquam attemptavit, sought to annul, Val. Max. 7, 8, 3; so, sententiam judicis, Dig. 12, 6, 23: pudicitiam, to seek to defile or pollute, ib. 47, 10, 10: annonam, to make dearer, ib. 47, 11, 6.

—Of a hostile attack: vi attemptantem repellere, Tac. A. 13, 25: jam curabo sentiat, Quos attentārit, Phaedr. 5, 2, 7: haud illum bello attemptare juvencis Sunt animi, Stat. Th. 4, 71.

—Trop.: Quae aegritudo insolens mentem attemptat tuam? Pac. ap. Non. p. 322, 18 (Trag. Rel. p. 84 Rib.).