2 entries found for deliberate.
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deliberate[1,verb] deliberate[2,adjective]

Main Entry: ¹de·lib·er·ate
Pronunciation: di-lib--rt
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -at·ed; -at·ing
Etymology: from Latin deliberatus, past participle of deliberare "to weigh in the mind," derived from de- "from, away" and libra "scale, pound" --related to EQUILIBRIUM, LIBRA
: to think about carefully : consider problems and decisions carefully <deliberate before answering>
Word History To weigh a decision is to think about it carefully, comparing one fact or idea with another as if by balancing them on a scale. The notion that slow and careful thought is like using a scale has given us the word deliberate. Deliberate can be traced back to the Latin verb deliberare, meaning "to weigh in the mind." The core of this word is the noun libra, meaning "a scale." A deliberate decision, therefore, is one that has been carefully weighed.