meditation
n.-
1 mental practice (n.) B1 Intermediatethe act of spending time in quiet thought to relax or for religious reasons.
the practice of mental focus or controlled breathing to achieve a state of relaxation, clarity, or spiritual awareness.
ExampleShe practices ten minutes of meditation every morning to help manage her stress.
ExampleDaily meditation has been shown to reduce cortisol levels and improve emotional regulation in high-stress professional environments.
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2 deep thought (n.) B2 Upper Intermediateserious and careful thought about something.
the process of deep, sustained reflection or serious consideration of a subject.
ExampleAfter much meditation on the problem, he finally found a solution.
ExampleThe decision was reached only after long meditation on the ethical implications of the new corporate policy.
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3 written or spoken discourse (n.) C1 Advanced Formal Academica long speech or piece of writing that looks deeply at a subject.
a formal discourse, either written or spoken, that explores a philosophical or religious theme in a contemplative manner.
ExampleThe professor published a short meditation on the nature of justice.
ExampleHis latest book is a profound meditation on the decline of traditional craftsmanship in the digital age.
From Old French meditacion, taken straight from Latin meditatio, which is the verbal noun of meditari, the past participle of meditari (“to think over, consider”). The Latin sits on a Proto-Indo-European root med- whose brief is simply “to measure, limit, consider, advise” — a semantic brief wide enough to account for both contemplative monks and surveyors.