Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - attitude

 noun  Etymology: French, from Italian attitudine, literally, aptitude, from Late Latin aptitudin-, aptitudo fitness — more at aptitude  Date: 1668  1. the arrangement of the parts of a body or figure ; posture  2. a position assumed for a specific purpose a threatening ~  3. a ballet position similar to the arabesque in which the raised leg is bent at the knee  4.  a. a mental position with regard to a fact or state a helpful ~  b. a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state  5. the position of an aircraft or spacecraft determined by the relationship between its axes and a reference datum (as the horizon or a particular star)  6. an organismic state of readiness to respond in a characteristic way to a stimulus (as an object, concept, or situation)  7.  a. a negative or hostile state of mind  b. a cool, cocky, defiant, or arrogant manner