to meditate
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to meditate
To practice a spiritual or relaxing activity in which one aims to reach a state of deep relaxation or inner focus through concentration or mindfulness exercises.
Sie meditiert jeden Morgen für zwanzig Minuten, um ruhig in den Tag zu starten.
She meditates for twenty minutes every morning to start the day calmly.
to meditate
In a figurative and elevated sense: to think deeply and at length about something, or to ponder it.
Er saß am Fenster und meditierte über die Zukunft seines Unternehmens.
He sat by the window and meditated on the future of his company.
The verb 'meditieren' (to meditate) belongs to the word family of 'die Meditation' (meditation). If you know the noun, you can easily work out the meaning of the verb.
Viele Menschen lernen in Kursen, wie man richtig meditiert.
Many people learn in courses how to meditate properly.
You can recognize the meaning from the sentence structure. If 'meditieren' (to meditate) is used without a complement, it refers to the relaxation exercise. If the preposition 'über' (about/on) with the accusative follows, it means 'to think deeply'.
Ich versuche, jeden Abend vor dem Schlafen zu meditieren.
I try to meditate every evening before going to sleep.
In the spiritual meaning, 'meditieren' (to meditate) is often combined with time expressions to describe the duration or regularity of the practice. Typical phrases are 'täglich meditieren' (to meditate daily), 'regelmäßig meditieren' (to meditate regularly), or 'für 10 Minuten meditieren' (to meditate for 10 minutes).
Er meditiert regelmäßig, um Stress abzubauen.
He meditates regularly to reduce stress.
The figurative meaning 'über etwas nachdenken' (to think about something) is elevated and is used mainly in written language or in very formal contexts. It is rare in everyday speech.
In seinem Tagebuch meditierte er über die politischen Ereignisse.
In his diary, he meditated on the political events.
to think
Nachdenken neutrally describes thorough mental engagement with a problem. Meditieren can also express thinking deeply and at length, but in this figurative meaning it sounds elevated and emphasizes sustained inner contemplation. In ordinary conversation, nachdenken is usually the better choice; in elevated language, meditieren can also be used.
Am Abend meditiert sie lange über ihre Zukunft.
In the evening, she meditates at length on her future.
Am Abend denkt sie lange über ihre Zukunft nach.
In the evening, she thinks at length about her future.
