Cogitate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈkəʊdʒɪteɪt/

Definitions

1. To think deeply or carefully about something, often over a period of time
2. To engage in careful mental deliberation or sustained reflection on a subject
3. To contemplate or ponder something through prolonged intellectual consideration

Etymology: Before it meant sustained reflection, "cogitate" was built from a Latin verb that combined a prefix with a notion of shaking things together. Latin "cōgitō" joined "co-", meaning together, with "agitō", a frequentative of "agere" meaning to drive or set in motion. The sense was of stirring ideas together in the mind, turning them over until they formed a conclusion. English borrowed the word in the 1570s, directly from the Latin past participle "cōgitātus", and the "-ate" ending simply marks it as a verb. The verb is one of a family of words that trace back to that same root, and "cogitation" and "cogitative" followed it into English. Its meaning has stayed remarkably close to its Latin origins: the mind is still imagined as a place where thoughts are churned and mixed until something settles out of them.

Synonyms: ponder, consider, contemplate, reflect, think

Antonyms: ignore, neglect, disregard, overlook, dismiss