A period of deep thought.
"After a long silence, he stepped back to ponder before making his final decision."
reflect deeply on a subject
"I mulled over the events of the afternoon"
"philosophers have speculated on the question of God for thousands of years"
"The scientist must stop to observe and start to excogitate"
To wonder, think of deeply.
"She sat by the window and pondered whether to take the job offer across the country."
A surname.
"The new headmaster, Mr. Ponder, surprised everyone by choosing to focus on arts rather than sports."