Premeditates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To carefully contemplate and strategize actions ahead of time for intended outcomes
2. To devise or scheme a course of action prior to its execution
3. To deliberate on a plan in advance with the purpose of carrying it out

Etymology: "Premeditates" is the third-person singular present form of "premeditate," so it simply describes someone who plans something in advance, as in "she premeditates every move." The verb is a learned borrowing from Latin "praemeditatus," the past participle of "praemeditari," meaning "to think over beforehand." Its two parts are the prefix "pre-," meaning "before," and "meditate," which in Latin meant to think over or consider carefully. The Latin root "meditari" is related to "medicus" through an older sense of exercising or practising a skill, so the idea of rehearsing a thought ahead of time is built into the word from the start. English speakers took the verb directly from Latin rather than through French, which is why it keeps the full classical shape.

Synonyms: contemplate, plan, deliberate

Antonyms: impulsively, spontaneously