Contemplated

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈkɑn.təmˌpleɪtɪd/

Definitions

1. The process of engaging in serious deliberation about an issue involves thoughtful analysis and consideration of various perspectives
2. The act of reflecting deeply on a topic requires examining different aspects and weighing potential implications
3. The activity involving deep reflection and thought encompasses examining an idea critically, considering various viewpoints, and pondering outcomes

Etymology: "Contemplated" is the past tense and past participle of "contemplate," so the real story belongs to the verb itself. Its Latin ancestor, "contemplari," meant to observe or survey, and its root sense is literal: "templum" in Roman religion was a consecrated space marked out by augurs for observing the sky, and to contemplate was to gaze across such a space. The word is a Latin verb with a visual origin, not a mental one. English borrowed it directly from Latin in the 1590s, when writers were importing many Latin verbs. The Latin "contemplatus" is the source of the English form, and the English suffix "-ate" was added as a verb-forming ending, matching the pattern of many borrowed Latin verbs. Early English uses kept the sense of looking steadily at something, and the notion of mental reflection grew from that gaze over time.

Synonyms: considered, thought about

Antonyms: ignored