English → Latin
“contemplative” in Latin
contemplātīvuscontemplative, speculative; theoreticaldīvīnusdivine, of a deity, superhuman, supernaturalpōnōto place; to put; to lay; to ordain; to appoint; to make (something); to set up; to pitch (camp)
The English word contemplative itself goes back to Latin contemplātus, through contemplātīvus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
contemplative
contemplativus (philosophical technical term, Sen., Ep., 95, 10, philosophia contemplativa opposed to activa). A contemplative life, degendae vitae ratio in contemplatione et cognitione rerum (divinarum) posita (Cic., Fin., 5, 4, 11): contemplative philosophy, philosophia contemplativa (Sen.); or quae in rerum contemplatione versatur: to be a contemplative philosopher, or to lead a contemplative life, studium in contemplatione rerum collocare (in a philosophical sense): contemplative studies or pursuits, studia cogitationis (Cic., Off., 1, 6, 19), or studia scientiae cognitionisque.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for contemplative?
- The usual Latin words for “contemplative” are contemplātīvus, dīvīnus, pōnō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.