thought

Etymology

From Middle English thought, ithoȝt, from Old English þōht, ġeþōht, from Proto-West Germanic *þą̄ht, from Proto-Germanic *þanhtaz, *gaþanhtą (“thought”), from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think”). Cognate with Scots thocht (“thought”), Saterland Frisian Toacht (“thought”), West Frisian dacht (“attention, regard, thought”), Dutch gedachte (“thought”), German Andacht (“reverence, devotion, prayer”), Icelandic þóttur (“thought”). Related to thank.

noun

1. (countable) Representation created in the mind without the use of one's faculties of vision, sound, smell, touch, or taste; an instance of thinking.
   The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.
2. (uncountable) The operation by which mental activity arise or are manipulated; the process of thinking; the agency by which thinking is accomplished.
   Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom, and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech.
   The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it’s unfamiliar territory. a. 1983, Paul Fix (attributed quote)
3. (uncountable) A way of thinking (associated with a group, nation or region).
   Traditional eastern thought differs markedly from that of the west.
4. (uncountable, now dialectal) Anxiety, distress.
5. (uncountable) The careful consideration of multiple factors; deliberation.
   After much thought, I have decided to stay.
6. A very small amount, distance, etc.; a whit or jot.
   'Bide the night at Heriotside,' says he. 'It's a thought out of your way, but it's a comfortable bit.' 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide

verb

1. simple past and past participle of think