# contemplate

Pronunciation: say "KON-tuhm-playt" US /ˈkɑn.təmˌpleɪt/, UK /ˈkɒn.təmˌpleɪt/

## Verb

1. To think about something as a possible course of action or likely outcome.
   - Simple: To think about doing something, or about whether something might happen.
   - _Investors must contemplate the risks before committing large sums._
   - _The board is contemplating a merger with its largest competitor._
2. To regard or consider something with sustained, careful attention; to ponder, study, or meditate on it.
   - Simple: To look at or think about something carefully for a long time.
   - _Monks contemplate sacred texts for hours each day._
   - _She spent the whole evening contemplating the meaning of the letter._

## Origin

First recorded in the 1590s, it comes from Latin contemplātus, the perfect participle of contemplor ("to observe, survey, gaze at, contemplate"), formed with the verb-making suffix -ate.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/contemplate (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).