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consider

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /kənˈsɪd.ə/, US /kənˈsɪd.ɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English consideren,[2][3] borrowed from Old French considerer (“to reflect on, consider, study”),[4][5] a learned borrowing from Latin cōnsīderāre (“to look at closely, examine, contemplate”),[5][4] probably literally “to observe the stars”,[4][3][6] from com- and sīdus (“star, constellation”) (genitive sīderis),[4][2] perhaps in reference to augury or navigation.[5][4] De Vaan weighs other etymologies for the Latin verb but endorses none,[4] and Tucker doubted the link with sīdus, which does not suit dēsīderāre “to desire”, preferring a root meaning “to stretch”.[4] It is related to desire and sidereal.[4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

“To fix the mind on, think over”: 1375, in Barbour's Bruce.[5][8]

Semantic evolution

The earliest meaning in Word Origins' account was “to look at very carefully”, soon widened to thinking carefully about something.[6] “To view attentively” is recorded from about 1425,[8] “to take into account, show regard for” from about 1385,[8] and “to estimate, judge” from about 1391.[8] “To believe, regard as” is from the 1530s.[4] Considering, as a preposition, is from about 1390, in Chaucer,[5] and considerable, “that can be considered”, from about 1449.[5]

Timeline

  • 1375 – to think over.[5][8]
  • c. 1385 – to take into account.[8]
  • c. 1390 – considering.[5]
  • c. 1425 – to look at attentively.[8]
  • c. 1449 – considerable.[5]
  • 1530s – to regard as.[4]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To think carefully about.
  2. To regard as; to believe: I consider him a friend.
  3. To take into account.
  4. To show regard for someone's feelings.
  5. (archaic) To look at thoughtfully.

Word family

  • considerer
  • preconsider
  • considerable
  • considerate
  • consideration
  • reconsider
  • considering
  • desire
  • sidereal

Usage notes

Consider suggests a judgement reached by reflection and reasoning, while deem, regard, account and reckon are near synonyms for holding a view based on evaluation.[9]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  6. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  9. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin