coun⋅cil
[koun-suh
l] 
| 1. | an assembly of persons summoned or convened for consultation, deliberation, or advice. |
| 2. | a body of persons specially designated or selected to act in an advisory, administrative, or legislative capacity: the governor's council on housing. |
| 3. | (in certain British colonies or dependencies) an executive or legislative body assisting the governor. |
| 4. | an ecclesiastical assembly for deciding matters of doctrine or discipline. |
| 5. | New Testament. the Sanhedrin or other authoritative body. |
1125–75; ME co(u)nsile < AF cuncil(e), OF concile < LL concilium synod, church council (L: assembly), prob. equiv. to L con- con- + -cil(āre), comb. form of calāre to summon, convoke + -ium -ium; ME -s- by assoc. with AF cunseil counsel
Council, counsel, and consul are not interchangeable. Council is a noun. Its most common sense is “an assembly of persons convened for deliberation or the like.” It is generally used with a singular verb. A member of such a group is a councilor. Counsel is both noun and verb. Its most common meaning as a noun is “advice given to another”: His counsel on domestic relations is sound. A person giving such advice is a counselor. In law, counsel means “legal adviser or advisers” and can be either singular or plural. As a verb, counsel means “to advise.” The noun consul refers to the representative of a government who guards the welfare of its citizens in a foreign country.
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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| coun·cil (koun'səl) n.
[Middle English counceil, from Old French concile, from Latin concilium; see kelə-2 in Indo-European roots.] Usage Note: Council, counsel, and consul are never interchangeable, though their meanings are related. Council and councilor refer principally to a deliberative assembly (such as a city council or student council), its work, and its membership. Counsel and counselor pertain chiefly to advice and guidance in general and to a person (such as a lawyer or camp counselor) who provides it. Consul denotes an officer in the foreign service of a country. |
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Council
Coun"cil\ (koun"s[i^]l), n. [F. concile, fr. L. concilium; con- + calare to call, akin to Gr. ??? to call, and E. hale, v., haul. Cf. Conciliate. This word is often confounded with counsel, with which it has no connection.]1. An assembly of men summoned or convened for consultation, deliberation, or advice; as, a council of physicians for consultation in a critical case. 2. A body of man elected or appointed to constitute an advisory or a legislative assembly; as, a governor's council; a city council. An old lord of the council rated me the other day. --Shak. 3. Act of deliberating; deliberation; consultation. Satan . . . void of rest, His potentates to council called by night. --Milton. O great in action and in council wise. --Pope. Aulic council. See under Aulic. Cabinet council. See under Cabinet. City council, the legislative branch of a city government, usually consisting of a board of aldermen and common council, but sometimes otherwise constituted. Common council. See under Common. Council board, Council table, the table round which a council holds consultation; also, the council itself in deliberation. Council chamber, the room or apartment in which a council meets. Council fire, the ceremonial fire kept burning while the Indians hold their councils. [U.S.] --Bartlett. Council of war, an assembly of officers of high rank, called to consult with the commander in chief in regard to measures or importance or nesessity. Ecumenical council (Eccl.), an assembly of prelates or divines convened from the whole body of the church to regulate matters of doctrine or discipline. Executive council, a body of men elected as advisers of the chief magistrate, whether of a State or the nation. [U.S.] Legislative council, the upper house of a legislature, usually called the senate. Privy council. See under Privy. [Eng.] Syn: Assembly; meeting; congress; diet; parliament; convention; convocation; synod.Cite This Source
council
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Main Entry: coun·cil
Pronunciation: 'kaun-s&l
Function: noun
: a governmental body: as a : a group elected as a legislative body
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Council
spoken of counsellors who sat in public trials with the governor of a province (Acts 25:12). The Jewish councils were the Sanhedrim, or supreme council of the nation, which had subordinate to it smaller tribunals (the "judgment," perhaps, in Matt. 5:21, 22) in the cities of Palestine (Matt. 10:17; Mark 13:9). In the time of Christ the functions of the Sanhedrim were limited (John 16:2; 2 Cor. 11:24). In Ps. 68:27 the word "council" means simply a company of persons. (R.V. marg., "company.") In ecclesiastical history the word is used to denote an assembly of pastors or bishops for the discussion and regulation of church affairs. The first of these councils was that of the apostles and elders at Jerusalem, of which we have a detailed account in Acts 15.
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council
in the Christian Church, a meeting of bishops and other leaders to consider and rule on questions of doctrine, administration, discipline, and other matters. An ecumenical or general council is a meeting of bishops of the whole church; local councils representing such areas as provinces or patriarchates are often called synods. According to Roman Catholic doctrine, a council is not ecumenical unless it has been called by the pope, and its decrees are not binding until they have been promulgated by the pope. Decrees so promulgated have the highest authority in the Roman Catholic Church.
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