12 August 2013

cogitation

[koj-i-tey-shuhn]

noun

1. concerted thought or reflection; meditation; contemplation: After hours of cogitation he came up with a new proposal.
2. the faculty of thinking: She was a serious student and had a great power of cogitation.
3. a thought; design or plan: to jot down one’s cogitations.

Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English cogitaciun < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin cōgitātiōn- (stem of cōgitātiō ), equivalent to cōgitāt ( us ) (see cogitate) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms
pre·cog·i·ta·tion, noun

Today’s aphorism

‘The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success’.

― Ian Fleming

On this day

12 August 30BC – Cleopatra VII, last Pharoah of Ancient Egypt, suicides after learning of the suicide of her lover, Mark Antony (after he lost the Battle of Actium to Emperor Octavian). She reportedly allowed herself to be bitten by an asp. Soon after, Egypt became a Roman province under Octavian.

12 August 1964 – death of Ian Fleming, British author of the ‘James Bond’ novels.

12 August 2009 – death of Les Paul, (born Lester William Polsfuss) American musician and inventor of the solid body electric guitar. The popular Gibson Les Paul was designed in collaboration with him. (Born 1915)