premeditation

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   thought, planning, or deliberation before an action is carried out

   The timing of the announcement showed careful premeditation rather than a spontaneous decision.

2. 2
   noun

   prior consideration or planning that shows an intent to commit a crime; law

   Prosecutors argued that buying the weapon in advance demonstrated premeditation.

A learned borrowing from Latin praemeditatio, from praemeditari, 'to consider beforehand,' formed from prae- ('before') + meditari ('to reflect, consider'). The legal sense narrows that general prior thought to planning that demonstrates criminal intent.

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