1432, from L. præmeditationem (nom. præmeditatio) "consideration beforehand," from præmeditatus, pp. of præmeditari "to consider beforehand," from præ- "before" + meditari "to consider" (see meditation). Premeditated is recorded from 1590.
Main Entry: pre·med·i·ta·tion Pronunciation: pri-"me-d&-'tA-sh&n Function: noun : an act or instance of premeditating; specifically: consideration or planning of an act beforehand premeditation to tamper with it> premeditation —Kansas Statutes Annotated> —see also COLD BLOOD, MURDER —compare INTENT NOTE: The terms premeditationmalice aforethoughtdeliberate, and willful are often used in statutes either along with or instead of intent to describe the necessary mental state for a crime. In some jurisdictions the premeditation has to occur only moments before the act, while in others it must precede the act by an appreciable amount of time.
[pri-med-i-tey-shuh
n] 