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Origin and history of contemplation

contemplation(n.)

c. 1200, contemplacioun, "religious musing," from Old French contemplation and directly from Latin contemplationem (nominative contemplatio) "act of looking at," noun of action from past-participle stem of contemplari "to gaze attentively, observe; consider, contemplate," originally "to mark out a space for observation" (as an augur does), from assimilated form of com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + templum "area for the taking of auguries" (see temple (n.1)).

It is attested from late 14c. as "reflection, thinking, thought, act of holding an idea continuously before the mind." The meaning "act of looking attentively at anything" is from late 15c.

In cogitation the thought or attention flits aimlessly about the subject.

In meditation it circles round it, that is, it views it systematically, from all sides, gaining perspective.

In contemplation it radiates from a centre, that is, as light from the sun it reaches out in an infinite number of ways to things that are related to or dependent on it. [Ezra Pound, 1909, recalling in his own words ideas from Richard of St. Victor, 12c., "De praeparatione animi ad contemplationem"]

also from c. 1200

Entries linking to contemplation

temple(n.1)

[building for worship, edifice dedicated to the service of a deity or deities] Old English tempel, from Latin templum "piece of ground consecrated for the taking of auspices, building for worship of a god," a word of uncertain signification.

It has been referred to PIE root *tem- "to cut," on the notion of "place reserved or cut out" [Watkins], or to a root *temp- "to stretch" [Klein, de Vaan], on the notion of "cleared (measured) space in front of an altar" (from PIE root *ten- "to stretch;" compare temple (n.2)), the notion being perhaps the "stretched" string that marks off the ground. Compare Greek temenos "sacred area around a temple," literally "place cut off," from stem of temnein "to cut."

The figurative sense of "any place regarded as occupied by divine presence" was in Old English. Used of buildings for public Christian worship (especially for grand churches) from late 14c. Applied to Jewish synagogues from 1590s. In France, noted as the designation for Protestant churches, église being reserved for those of Catholics.

com-

word-forming element usually meaning "with, together," from Latin com, archaic form of classical Latin cum "together, together with, in combination," from PIE *kom- "beside, near, by, with" (compare Old English ge-, German ge-). The prefix in Latin sometimes was used as an intensive.

Before vowels and aspirates, it is reduced to co-; before -g-, it is assimilated to cog- or con-; before -l-, assimilated to col-; before -r-, assimilated to cor-; before -c-, -d-, -j-, -n-, -q-, -s-, -t-, and -v-, it is assimilated to con-, which was so frequent that it often was used as the normal form.

*tem-

also *temə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to cut."

It might form all or part of: anatomy; atom; contemplate; contemplation; diatom; dichotomy; -ectomy; entomolite; entomology; entomophagous; epitome; phlebotomy; temple (n.1) "building for worship;" tmesis; tome; -tomy; tonsorial; tonsure.

It might also be the source of: Greek temnein "to cut," tomos "volume, section of a book," originally "a section, piece cut off;" Old Church Slavonic tina "to cleave, split;" Middle Irish tamnaim "I cut off," Welsh tam "morsel."

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