council
/ˈkaʊn.səl/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms councils counciling councilling counciled councilled
- noun A committee that leads or governs (e.g. city council, student council).
- noun (UK, metonymic) A local authority.
- noun Discussion or deliberation.
- verb (transitive) To sit in council with; to hold discussions with.
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun A male given name.
- proper noun A small city, the county seat of Adams County, Idaho, United States.
Synonyms
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English counseil (“meeting, conference, commune”), from Old French conseil (“advice, deliberation, thought”), from Latin cōnsilium (“plan, intention, design, purpose”), from cōnsulō (“consult, seek counsel from, take counsel from, deliberate, reflect”), from Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- (“take, grab”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun An assembly of men summoned or convened for consultation, deliberation, or advice; as, a council of physicians for consultation in a critical case.
- noun A body of man elected or appointed to constitute an advisory or a legislative assembly; as, a governor's council; a city council.
Etymology [F. concile, fr. L. concilium; con- + calare to call, akin to Gr. hale, v., haul. Cf. Conciliate. This word is often confounded with counsel, with which it has no connection.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “council”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details