'cerebrate' originates from Latin, specifically the verb 'cerebrāre' (from 'cerebrum'), where 'cerebr-' meant 'brain'.

'cerebrate' passed into English via New/Modern Latin forms based on Late Latin 'cerebratus' and appeared in English as a learned verb meaning 'to use the brain'.

Initially, it meant 'to exercise the brain' or 'use the brain actively'; over time it has come to mean more generally 'to think' or 'ponder' (often in a formal or literary register).