cogitation

C3O1G2I1T1A1T1I1O1N1
UK/ˌkɒd͡ʒ.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/UK/ˌkɒː.d͡ʒəˈteɪ.ʃən/UK/ˌkəʊd͡ʒ.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/US/ˌkɑd͡ʒ.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/

noun

The process of cogitating; contemplation, deliberation, reflection, meditation.

Similar
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:considerationstudy
RareScrabble 13

Meanings

nouncogitation (countable and uncountable, plural cogitations)

plural cogitations

  1. countableA carefully considered thought, idea, notion.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:consideration

nounattentive consideration and meditation

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eǵ-
  2. Proto-Italic*agō“to drive, impel”
  3. Latincōgitō“to turn over in the mind; think, consider, ponder, meditate”
  4. Vulgar Latincōgitātiō, cōgitātiōnem
  5. Old Frenchcogitaciun
  6. Middle Englishcogitacioun
  7. Medieval Latincogitatio, cogitationis
  8. Englishcogitation

Latinism, likely a learned borrowing from Medieval Latin cogitatio, cogitationis, possibly influenced by or displacing an earlier doublet of cogitacion inherited from Middle English cogitacioun, from an Old French cogitaciun, from Vulgar Latin cōgitātiō, cōgitātiōnem; compare Middle French cogitatiun, French cogitation. All ultimately from verbal construction cōgitātus + -iō, from the perfect passive participle of Latin cōgitō (“to turn over in the mind; think, consider, ponder, meditate”), frequentative verb from con- (“together, with”) + agitō (“to put in constant motion, drive at something; devise, plot, contrive”), root from Proto-Italic *agō (“to drive, impel”) from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian размишление
  • размишление (razmišlenie)process of cogitating
Catalan cogitació
  • cogitacióprocess of cogitating
French cogitation
  • cogitationprocess of cogitating
Italian cogitazione
  • cogitazioneprocess of cogitating
Latin cogitatio
  • cogitatioprocess of cogitating
Portuguese cogitação
  • cogitaçãoprocess of cogitating
Spanish cogitación
  • cogitaciónprocess of cogitating
Cite this entry
APA

cogitation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cogitation

MLA

“cogitation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cogitation. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cogitation,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cogitation.

Source: cogitation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.