quorum
UK /ˈkwɔː.ɹəm/ · US /ˈkwɔːɹəm/ noun
Forms quorums quora qorum qworum quoram corum
- noun (historical) A select body of (usually eminent) justices of the peace, every member of which had to be present to constitute a deciding body; a member of this body. Later more generally: all justices collectively.
- noun The minimum number of members required for a group to officially conduct business and to cast votes, often but not necessarily a majority or supermajority. “We can discuss the issue tonight but cannot vote until we have a quorum.”
- noun (now rare) Distinguished or essential members of any body; a select company.
- noun (computing, distributed systems) The minimum number of votes that a distributed transaction has to obtain in order to be allowed to perform an operation in a distributed system.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English quorum (c. 1426), from Anglo-Norman quorum, clipped from the Anglo-Latin wording of commissions in which certain persons were specially designated as members of a body by the words quorum vos unum esse volumus ad etc. (“of whom we want you to be one assigned to etc.”).
Latin quōrum is the masculine genitive plural of the relative pronoun quī (“who”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Such a number of the officers or members of any body as is competent by law or constitution to transact business; as, a quorum of the House of Representatives; a constitutional quorum was not present.
Etymology [L., of whom, gen. pl. of qui who, akin to E. who. See the Note below.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “quorum”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details