ponder

[pon-der] /ˈpɒn dər/

verb (used without object)

to consider something deeply and thoroughly; meditate (often followed by over or upon).

verb (used with object)

to weigh carefully in the mind; consider thoughtfully:

He pondered his next words thoroughly.

Origin

1300-50; Middle English pondren < Middle French ponderer < Latin ponderāre to ponder, weigh; akin to pendēre to be suspended, hang (see pend)

Related forms

ponderer, noun

reponder, verb (used without object)

unpondered, adjective

well-pondered, adjective

Synonyms

1. reflect, cogitate, deliberate, ruminate.

Examples from the web for ponder

Open-minded readers will enjoy her beautifully written book as an opportunity to ponder our shared humanity.
The visitor is left to ponder if perhaps these two women are actually one.
As he plumbed the details, he found more and more to admire and ponder.
He looks forward to the chance to read, chat and ponder on the boat.
Scholars and archaeologists still ponder why they left.
Philosophers ponder what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object.
That is something to ponder while stuck in the Delhi traffic.
It turns out that the pigments and dyes responsible for hues have many remarkable characteristics, most of which we rarely ponder.
They will ponder their plans for the future.
And this was a show to savor for its outward prettiness and to ponder for its interior vision.

British Dictionary definitions for ponder

ponder

/ˈpɒndə/

verb

when intr, sometimes foll by on or over. to give thorough or deep consideration (to); meditate (upon)

Word Origin

C14: from Old French ponderer, from Latin ponderāre to weigh, consider, from pondus weight; related to pendere to weigh

Word Origin and History for ponder

early 14c., "to estimate the worth of, to appraise," from Old French ponderer "to weigh, poise" (14c., Modern French pondérer) and directly from Latin ponderare "ponder, consider, reflect," literally "to weigh," from pondus (genitive ponderis) "weigh" (see pound (n.1)). Meaning "to weigh a matter mentally" is attested from late 14c. Related: Pondered; pondering; ponderation.

ponder in Technology

A non-strict polymorphic, functional language by Jon Fairbairn .
Ponder's type system is unusual. It is more powerful than the Hindley-Milner type system used by ML and Miranda and extended by Haskell. Ponder adds extra recursive 'mu' types to those of Girard's System F, allowing more general recursion. Surprisingly, the type system and type inference algorithm are still not completely understood.
["Ponder and its Type System", J. Fairbairn, TR 31, Cambridge U Computer Lab, Nov 1982].
[J. Fairbairn, "Design and Implementation of a Simple Typed Language based on the Lambda-Calculus", Technical Report No. 75, Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, May 1985].
[J. Fairbairn, "A New Type-Checker for a Functional Language", Technical Report No. 53, Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, 1984].
[J. Fairbairn, "Some Types with Inclusion Properties in \forall, \rightarrow, \mu", Technical Report No. 171, Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Jun 1989].
[Valeria C. V. de Paiva, "Subtyping in Ponder (Preliminary Report)", Technical Report No. 203, Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Aug 1990].