'attempter' originates from English, formed from the verb 'attempt' + the agentive suffix '-er'. 'attempt' ultimately comes from Latin 'attemptare', where 'ad-' meant 'to/toward' and 'temptare' meant 'to try, test'.

'attempt' came into Middle English from Old French (or Anglo-French) forms derived from Late Latin 'attemptare'; the English agentive suffix '-er' was later added to form 'attempter' (literally 'one who attempts').

Initially (in Latin) the root meant 'to test' or 'to try'; over time it evolved into the general sense 'to make an effort to do something' in modern English. The agent noun 'attempter' therefore means 'one who tries'.