contemplate

English

Etymology

Attested since the 1590s; borrowed from Latin contemplātus, from contemplari (“observe, survey”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑn.təmˌpleɪt/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒn.təmˌpleɪt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: con‧tem‧plate

Verb

contemplate (third-person singular simple present contemplates, present participle contemplating, simple past and past participle contemplated)

1. To look at on all sides or in all its aspects; to view or consider with continued attention; to regard with deliberate care; to meditate on; to study, ponder, or consider.
   • 1671, John Milton, “The First Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J. M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 1:

     To love, at least contemplate and admire, / What I see excellent.

   • 1818, Lord Byron, “Canto IV”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Canto the Fourth, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, stanza CLVIII:

     We thus dilate / Our spirits to the size of that they contemplate.

2. To consider as a possibility.
   • 1793 February 18, Alexander Hamilton, Loans, speech given to the United States House of Representatives:

     There remain some particulars to complete the information contemplated by those resolutions.

   • 1826, James Kent, Commentaries on American Law:

     If a treaty contains any stipulations which contemplate a state of future war.

   • 2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:

     Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.

   I contemplated doing the project myself, but it would have taken too long.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:ponder
• (look at): examine

Derived terms

• contemplate one's navel
• contemplative

Related terms

• contemplation

Translations

think about something in a concentrated manner

• Armenian: դիտարկել (hy) (ditarkel)
• Bulgarian: обмислям (bg) (obmisljam)
• Cherokee: ᎠᏓᏅᏖ (adanvte)
• Dutch: beschouwen (nl), contempleren (nl), overwegen (nl)
• Finnish: pohtia (fi), pohdiskella (fi), mietiskellä (fi), suunnitella (fi)
• French: envisager (fr), étudier (fr), contempler (fr)
• German: nachsinnen (de), kontemplieren (de)
• Greek: συλλογίζομαι (el) (syllogízomai)

  Ancient: σκοπέω (skopéō)

• Hungarian: elmélkedik (hu), szemlél (hu)
• Interlingua: contemplar
• Italian: considerare (it), contemplare (it)
• Japanese: 熟考する (じゅっこうする, jukkō suru)
• Latin: meditor, dispecto, inspicio
• Maori: huritao, whakaaroaro, taute
• Norwegian: vurdere (no)
• Persian: تفکر کردن (fa)
• Portuguese: contemplar (pt)
• Romanian: cugeta (ro), contempla (ro), chibzui (ro)
• Russian: размышля́ть (ru) (razmyšljátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: meòraich, cnuasaich
• Spanish: contemplar (es)
• Swedish: överväga (sv), betänka (sv)
• Turkish: yoğunlaşmak (tr), düşünmek (tr)
• Vietnamese: nghĩ (vi)
• Yup'ik: umyuaqvagluni

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “contemplate”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

contemplate

1. inflection of contemplare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

contemplate f pl

1. feminine plural of contemplato

Anagrams

• completante

Latin

Participle

contemplāte

1. vocative masculine singular of contemplātus

Spanish

Verb

contemplate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of contemplar combined with te