English edit

Etymology edit

From attrahent-, the stem of the Latin attrahēns (drawing, pulling, or dragging to or toward with force”; “drawing”, “alluring”, “leading”, “bringing”, “moving”, “attracting), the present active participle of attrahō (I draw, pull, or drag to or toward with force”; “I draw, allure, lead, bring, move, attract), on whose perfect passive participial stem the English verb attract is modelled.

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

attrahent (not comparable)

  1. That attracts; drawing, attracting.
    • 1661, Robert Lovell, A Compleat History of Animals and Minerals, page 518:
      The humours, which easily follow the attrahent medicament.

Noun edit

attrahent (plural attrahents)

  1. An attrahent agent; something that attracts.
    • 1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica, or Confest Ignorance the Way to Science (2nd ed. of The Vanity of Dogmatizing, 1661), chapter 15, page 127
      The motion of steel to its attrahent.
    • 1786, Ephraim Chambers, “Rees”, in Cyclopædia; or, An Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences:
      Attrahents are the same with what we otherwise call drawers, ripeners, maturantia, etc.

References edit

Latin edit

Verb edit

attrahent

  1. third-person plural future active indicative of attrahō