Where does “ponder” come from?
Ponder comes from Middle English ponderen, from Old French ponderer, from Latin ponderare, meaning to weigh, derived from Latin pondus (weight), which traces to Latin pendere (to hang or weigh) and Proto-Indo-European (s)pend-.
ponder (English): To wonder, think of deeply
Definitions
- To wonder, think of deeply
Ancestry of “ponder”, step by step
ponder traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin pondus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | pondus | weight; weight of a pound; heaviness, weight of a... |
| 2 | Proto-Italic | pondos | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pénd-os | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pend- | to stretch |