Contemplari

Contemplari is a Latin verb of the first conjugation used as a deponent. It means to contemplate, to gaze at, or to reflect upon. In classical and late Latin it occurs in philosophical, theological, and literary contexts where deep consideration or meditation is described.

Etymology and form: Contemplari is the present infinitive of the deponent verb contemplor, contemplari, contemplatus sum. As a deponent, it uses passive morphology to convey an active meaning. Its principal parts are contemplor, contemplari, contemplatus sum. The present system yields contemplor, contemplaris, contemplatur, contemplamur, contemplamini, contemplantur; imperfect contemplabar, contemplabaris, contemplabatur, contemplabamur, contemplabamini, contemplabantur; future contemplabor, contemplaberis, contemplabitur, contemplabimur, contemplabimini, contemplabuntur. The infinitive is contemplari; the supine is contemplatum; the perfect passive participle is contemplatus, used with sum to form perfect tenses.

Usage: Contemplari is used to describe the act of looking at or considering something with attention or reflection. It can appear in a range of contexts from everyday observation to philosophical argument or religious meditation, often with a direct object specifying the subject of contemplation and with prepositional phrases to indicate scope or matter of thought.

History and scope: The verb appears in a broad range of Latin literature, from early authors to later ecclesiastical and scholastic writers, and it remains a standard example of a deponent verb in Latin grammar. Its derivative noun contemplatio and related terms appear in discussions of meditation, reflection, and intellectual or spiritual practice.