From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Intention \In*ten"tion\, noun [F. intention, L. intentio. See {Intend}, and cf. {Intension}.]
1. A stretching or bending of the mind toward an object; closeness of application; fixedness of attention; earnestness.
Intention is when the mind, with great earnestness, and of choice, fixes its view on any idea. --Locke.
2. A determination to act in a certain way or to do a certain thing; purpose; design; as, an intention to go to New York.
Hell is paved with good intentions. --Johnson.
3. The object toward which the thoughts are directed; end; aim.
In [chronical distempers], the principal intention is to restore the tone of the solid parts. --Arbuthnot.
4. The state of being strained. See {Intension}. [Obs.]
5. (Logic) Any mental apprehension of an object.
{First intention} (Logic), a conception of a thing formed by the first or direct application of the mind to the individual object; an idea or image; as, man, stone.
{Second intention} (Logic), a conception generalized from first intuition or apprehension already formed by the mind; an abstract notion; especially, a classified notion, as species, genus, whiteness.
{To heal by the first intention} (Surg.), to cicatrize, as a wound, without suppuration.
{To heal by the second intention} (Surg.), to unite after suppuration.
Syn: Design; purpose; object; aim; intent; drift; purport; meaning. See {Design}.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions; "his intent was to provide a new translation"; "good intentions are not enough"; "it was created with the conscious aim of answering immediate needs"; "he made no secret of his designs" [syn: {purpose}, {intent}, {aim}, {design}]
2: (usually plural) the goal with respect to a marriage proposal; "his intentions are entirely honorable"
3: an act of intending; a volition that you intend to carry out; "my intention changed once I saw her"
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
119 Moby Thesaurus words for "intention": aim, ambition, animus, appetence, appetency, appetite, approach, arrangement, aspiration, attack, basis, blueprint, blueprinting, calculation, calling, cause, charting, choice, command, conation, conatus, conception, consideration, contrivance, decision, design, desire, determination, device, discretion, disposition, end, enterprise, envisagement, fancy, figuring, foresight, forethought, free choice, free will, game, goal, graphing, ground, ground plan, guidelines, guiding light, guiding star, hope, idea, ideal, inclination, inspiration, intendment, intent, layout, liking, lineup, lodestar, long-range plan, lust, mainspring, mapping, master plan, matter, meaning, method, methodology, mind, motive, object, objective, operations research, organization, passion, plan, planning, planning function, pleasure, prearrangement, principle, procedure, program, program of action, project, purpose, rationalization, reason, resolution, sake, schedule, schema, schematism, schematization, scheme, scheme of arrangement, score, setup, sexual desire, source, spring, strategic plan, strategy, system, systematization, tactical plan, tactics, target, the big picture, the picture, ulterior motive, velleity, vocation, volition, way, will, will power, wish, working plan
From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:
INTENTION, noun The mind's sense of the prevalence of one set of influences over another set; an effect whose cause is the imminence, immediate or remote, of the performance of an involuntary act.
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