The word 'intent' is about purpose. It was used from the early 13th century and comes from the old French entente, which means the goal, the purpose. This comes from the Latin 'intentus', which means a stretching out, leaning towards. In the sense of having the mind 'fixed upon something' the use was from about 1600 AD Let's look at the use of this word in current English " he listened intently...
What are our intentions ? Do we really listen?
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