The act or practice of contemplating; the state of being engaged in deep thought or meditation.
From contemplate plus -ance (noun suffix from Old French and Latin). This -ance suffix creates abstract nouns from verbs, similar to how 'observe' generates 'observance.'
Medieval monasteries valued 'contemplance' as a spiritual practice—it wasn't just thinking but a disciplined devotional state. The word carries echoes of that religious significance even today.
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