DictionaryRoot: ad-
Latin

ad-

to, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis

Forms

  • ad-
  • ac- — Used before c in Latin.
  • af- — Used before f in Latin.
  • ag- — Used before g in Latin.
  • al- — Used before l in Latin.
  • ap- — Used before p in Latin.
  • ar- — Used before r in Latin.
  • as- — Used before s in Latin.
  • at- — Used before t in Latin.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *ad, ‘to; near.’

Note

Later Latin-based spellings sometimes restored consonants that had disappeared in French.

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verb

tend

Look after someone or something.

The nurse tends her patients with patience and care.

Etymology

This tend shortens attend. Its care-giving sense preserves attending to someone's needs or looking after a thing.

More examples

  • She tends the garden every morning before work.
  • Someone needs to tend the fire while we cook.
  • We tended the injured bird until it could fly again.

Forms

tend · tends · tended · tending

Similar words

nurse
Nurse emphasizes caring for someone who is sick or injured.
maintain
Maintain focuses on keeping something in good working condition.