considerate

Forms

cōnsīderātē (comparative cōnsīderātius, superlative cōnsīderātissimē)^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin cōnsīderātus (“deliberate, cautious”) + -ē, the adverb of the participle of cōnsīderō (“to examine, reflect on”).^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler finds it first in Cicero,^[4] who in the De officiis says one should do carefully whatever one does.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It means after reflection, carefully, cautiously, the opposite of temere.^[2][3] Caesar uses the comparative, and Livy has waging war more cautiously and with more harmony;^[3][5][6] Cicero's letters have the superlative.^[3][5][6] Stelten gives “considerately”.^[7]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero, of acting carefully.^[5][4]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar, the comparative.^[3][6][4]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy, of waging war cautiously.^[3][5][4]

Meanings

Adverb

1. After consideration, carefully, cautiously, deliberately.^{[2][1][3][5][7]}

Related words

• cōnsīderātus
• cōnsīderō
• incōnsīderātē

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e f Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson