What English word means to "think deeply"?

The story behind the answer

Contemplate means to think about something deeply and at length—synonyms include ponder and reflect. The other options don’t fit: confiscate means to seize property, condensate is the liquid formed from vapor, and constipate relates to inhibited bowel movement (or figuratively, to impede).

Etymology helps memory: contemplate comes from Latin contemplari, “to observe attentively,” originally linked to templum, a sacred space for watching omens. Picture someone sitting quietly in a temple, reflecting—that’s to contemplate.