Excogitations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The undertaking of carefully pondering concepts or plans requires extensive thought and analysis
2. The activity of generating original ideas through deep reflection and systematic thinking leads to insightful solutions
3. The process of engaging in thorough mental consideration or reflection ; the act of producing new or inventive concepts through careful thought

Etymology: "Excogitations" is the plural of "excogitation", a noun borrowed from Latin "excogitatio", itself formed from "excogitare", meaning "to think out" or "to devise by thinking". The Latin verb combines "ex-", "out", with "cogitare", "to think", and "cogitare" in turn comes from "co-", "together", and "agitare", "to drive or set in motion". The image behind the word is of thoughts being stirred and worked until something new emerges. The plural form matters here because the noun is often used to mean distinct acts or results of such thinking rather than the abstract process alone. English adopted the noun from Latin with its original sense of careful, deliberate thought intact, so the word has always pointed toward effortful mental labour rather than casual musing.

Synonyms: thoughts, considerations, reflections, contemplations, deliberations