The term "thought" is derived from the Old English thoht, or gethoht, which is derived from the stem of thencan, which means "to think of in the mind, contemplate." The term "thought" can refer to a single result of thought or a concept ("My first thought was 'no.'") and can also mean "a mental image or picture." "Thought" can also be used as a noun. We say that something is thought-provoking when it causes us to consider other perspectives or alternative strategies for solving problems. "Thought" can also be used as an adjective. Something is said to be thoughtful if it gives another person or idea consideration. Finally, the word "thought" can be used as a verb. We say that someone or something has thought about something when they give it some attention in their mind. Thus, we can say that the word "thought" refers to any action of the mind. The mind thinks about something by giving it attention; it thinks of something in its mind; it contemplates something. The word "thought" has many different meanings depending on how it is used within a sentence. It is important to understand the context in which the word "thought" is being used for it to have the desired effect.