premeditation

[ pri-med-i-tey-shuhn ]

noun

1. an act or instance of premeditating.
2. Law. sufficient forethought to impute deliberation and intent to commit the act.

premeditation

/ prɪˌmɛdɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. law prior resolve to do some act or to commit a crime
2. the act of premeditating

Word History and Origins

Origin of premeditation¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin praemeditātiōn- (stem of praemeditātiō ) a considering beforehand. See premeditate, -ion

Example Sentences

The issues revolved around the degree of planning and premeditation, amount of mental and physical suffering inflicted on Holly and MacPhail's motivation for having a knife, the court heard.

From BBC

He acted with deliberation and premeditation, and in asking to be billed and paying for the ticket was trying to avoid investigations into the gifts, the judge added.

From BBC

“In his plea, Daniel admitted that he willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation, murdered the victim in order to maintain his status within the Aryan Brotherhood.”

From Los Angeles Times

She told jurors that if, however, they concluded that Romo killed her, it was not with the premeditation required for first-degree murder.

From Los Angeles Times

In “The Thing at Hand,” DiFranco embraces living completely in the moment, beyond identity or premeditation.

From New York Times