cogitate

/ˈkəʊdʒɪteɪt/

Etymology

First attested in 1570; borrowed from Latin cōgitātus, perfect passive participle of cōgitō (“to think”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Why this word is great

COGITATE — [Verb] To think deeply or carefully about something; to ponder or meditate. From Latin cōgitātus, past participle of cōgitō ("to think"), from co- ("together") + agitare ("to turn over, consider"). Unlike "ponder" (which suggests a slow, deliberate weighing of options) or "ruminate" (which implies a cyclical, sometimes burdensome revisiting of thoughts), "cogitate" is the brisk, methodical turning of an idea in the mind’s hand—examining its facets, testing its weight. It is the scholar tracing an argument through a labyrinth of texts, the chess player calculating three moves ahead, or the gardener weighing whether to prune the rose now or after the frost. A quiet, purposeful friction against the inertia of the unexamined.

verb

  1. To meditate, to ponder, to think deeply.“He that calleth a thing into his mind, whether by impression or recordation, cogitateth and considereth, and he that employeth the faculty of his fancy also cogitateth.”
  2. To consider, to devise.