Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To look at attentively and thoughtfully.
  • intransitive verb To consider carefully and at length; meditate on or ponder.
  • intransitive verb To have in mind as an intention or possibility.
  • intransitive verb To ponder; meditate.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To view, look at, or observe with continued attention.
  • To consider with continued attention; reflect upon; ponder; study; meditate on.
  • To consider or have in view, as a future act or event; intend.
  • To regard; consider.
  • Synonyms To consider, meditate upon, muse upon, reflect upon, ponder; dwell upon, think about. To design, plan, purpose.
  • To think studiously; study; muse; meditate; consider deliberately.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To consider or think studiously; to ponder; to reflect; to muse; to meditate.
  • transitive verb To look at on all sides or in all its bearings; to view or consider with continued attention; to regard with deliberate care; to meditate on; to study.
  • transitive verb To consider or have in view, as contingent or probable; to look forward to; to purpose; to intend.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To think about something in a concentrated manner or for an extended period of time. To think deeply about something; to ponder or consider.
  • verb To consider as a possibility.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb consider as a possibility
  • verb look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
  • verb think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes
  • verb reflect deeply on a subject

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin contemplārī, contemplāt- : com-, intensive pref.; see com– + templum, space for observing auguries; see tem- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Attested since the 1590s; from Latin contemplatus (contemplātus), from contemplari ("observe, survey").

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