contemplate

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. verb look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
  2. verb consider as a possibility
  3. verb think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes

Etymology

First attested in the 1590s; borrowed from Latin contemplātus, the perfect active participle of contemplor (“to observe, survey, gaze (at), contemplate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). See also template.

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