prepense

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   planned or considered beforehand; premeditated, chiefly in the legal phrase malice prepense

   The indictment alleged malice prepense rather than a death caused in sudden anger.

2. 2
   verb

   archaic: to consider, intend, or plan beforehand

   A prudent council should prepense the consequences before declaring war.

The adjective is a shortening of earlier prepensed, from the obsolete verb prepense, 'to consider beforehand.' That verb came through Anglo-Norman prepenser and Old French pourpenser, built from a prefix meaning 'before' + penser, 'to think,' ultimately from Latin pensare, 'to weigh or consider.'

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