Aforethought

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈfɔː.θɔːt/

Definitions

1. Characterized by the act of thinking ahead before making any decision or taking action
2. Relating to the concept of planning or reasoning before an action is taken
3. Deliberately planned or considered in advance before carrying out an action

Etymology: "Aforethought" is a compound of "afore" and "thought," and its history is mostly the history of its two parts. "Fore" comes from Old English and carries the sense of "before" in both time and position, while "a-" in "afore" is a prefix that reinforces the same idea of priority. "Thought" descends from an Old English noun, "þōht," which traces back through Germanic roots to the same base that gave English the verb "think." The word's meaning follows from that combination: something done with the "thought" already given to it beforehand. That is why it is used mainly in legal phrasing, where "malice aforethought" distinguishes a deliberate killing from one committed in the heat of the moment.

Synonyms: premeditation, planning

Antonyms: impulsiveness