contemplate

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑn.təmˌpleɪt/
• IPA^(key): /ˈkɒn.təmˌpleɪt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: con‧tem‧plate

Verb

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.
   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

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

   • (Can we date this quote by Byron and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

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

2. To consider as a possibility.
   • (Can we date this quote by A. Hamilton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

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

   • (Can we date this quote by Kent and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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

• 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)
• Greek: συλλογίζομαι (el) (syllogízomai)
• Hungarian: elmélkedik (hu), szemlél (hu)
• Interlingua: contemplar
• Italian: considerare (it), contemplare (it)
• Japanese: 熟考する (じゅっこうする, jyukkousurú) (1)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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)
• Vietnamese: nghĩ (vi)
• Yup'ik: umyuaqvagluni

References

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

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Italian

Verb

contemplate

1. second-person plural present indicative of contemplare
2. second-person plural imperative of contemplare
3. feminine plural of contemplato

Anagrams

• completante

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Latin

Participle

(deprecated template usage) contemplāte

1. vocative masculine singular of contemplātus