- thought (n.)
- O.E. žoht, gežoht, from stem of žencan "to conceive of in the mind, consider" (see think). Cognate with the second element in Ger. Gedächtnis "memory," Andacht "attention, devotion," Bedacht "consideration, deliberation." Thoughtful "given to thinking, meditative" is attested from c.1200; sense of "considerate of others" is first recorded 1851 (thoughtless "inconsiderate" is attested from 1794). Second thought "later consideration" is recorded from 1642. Thought-crime is from "Nineteen Eighty-Four" (1949); thought police is attested from 1946, originally in ref. to pre-war Japanese Special Higher Police (Tokubetsu Koto Keisatsu).