pensive

English

WOTD – 15 December 2009

Etymology

From French pensif (“thoughtful”), from penser (“to think”) (from Latin pēnsō) + -if (English -ive).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛn.sɪv/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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• Rhymes: -ɛnsɪv

Adjective

pensive (comparative more pensive, superlative most pensive)

1. Having the appearance of deep, often melancholic, thinking.
2. Looking thoughtful, especially from sadness.
   • 1748, David Hume, Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral., London: Oxford University Press, published 1973, § 4:

     Abstruse thought and profound researches I prohibit, and will severely punish, by the pensive melancholy which they introduce

   • 1979, J.G. Ballard, The Unlimited Dream Company, chapter 21:

     Through the deep grass the faces of the three children glowed like pensive moons.

Derived terms

• pensively
• pensiveness

Related terms

• poise
• pansy
• peso

Translations

having the appearance of thinking

• Azerbaijani: fikirli (az), dalğın
• Bulgarian: замислен (bg) (zamislen)
• Catalan: pensatiu
• Czech: zadumaný
• Danish: eftertænksom, tankefuld
• Esperanto: pensema
• Estonian: mõtlik
• Finnish: mietteliäs (fi)
• French: pensif (fr)
• German: nachdenklich (de), gedankenvoll, gedankenverloren (de), in Gedanken versunken
• Italian: pensieroso (it), contemplativo (it), estraniato (it), pensoso (it) m, meditabondo (it) m, cogitabondo (it) m
• Maori: whakamoemoeā
• Middle English: sad
• Norwegian: tankefull, ettertenksom (no)
• Polish: zadumany, zamyślony (pl)
• Portuguese: pensativo (pt) m
• Romanian: gânditor (ro), îngândurat (ro)
• Russian: заду́мчивый (ru) (zadúmčivyj), размышля́ющий (ru) (razmyšljájuščij)
• Serbo-Croatian: zàmišljen (sh)
• Spanish: pensativo (es), meditabundo (es)
• Swedish: fundersam (sv)
• Ukrainian: заду́мливий (zadúmlyvyj)

looking thoughtful or sad

• Bulgarian: тъжен (bg) (tǎžen)
• Catalan: pensatiu
• Czech: zadumaný
• Danish: eftertænksom, tungsindig
• Finnish: mietteliäs (fi)
• French: pensif (fr), chagrin (fr), mélancolique (fr)
• German: nachdenklich (de), gedankenverloren (de), (dated) sinnig (de), traurig dreinblickend
• Italian: pensieroso (it)
• Middle English: sad
• Norwegian: tankefull, ettertenksom (no)
• Persian: پکر‎ (fa) (pakar)
• Portuguese: pensativo (pt) m
• Russian: печа́льный (ru) (pečálʹnyj), гру́стный (ru) (grústnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: zàmišljen (sh)
• Spanish: pensativo (es), amohinado (es), melancólico (es), meditabundo (es)
• Swedish: fundersam (sv), tankfull (sv)
• Ukrainian: заду́мливий (zadúmlyvyj)

Anagrams

• vespine

French

Adjective

pensive

1. feminine singular of pensif

Old French

Adjective

pensive f

1. nominative/oblique feminine singular of pensif