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council

 - 6 dictionary results

coun⋅cil

  [koun-suhl]
Use council in a Sentence
–noun
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.
Origin:
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

Usage note:
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To council
coun·cil   (koun'səl)   
n.  

    1. An assembly of persons called together for consultation, deliberation, or discussion.

    2. A body of people elected or appointed to serve as administrators, legislators, or advisors.

    3. An assembly of church officials and theologians convened for regulating matters of doctrine and discipline.

  2. The discussion or deliberation that takes place in such an assembly or body.


[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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

council 
c.1123, from Anglo-Norm. cuncile, from O.N.Fr. concilie, from L. concilium "group of people, meeting," from com- "together" + calare "to call" (see calendar). Tendency to confuse it in form and meaning with counsel has been consistent since 16c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: coun·cil
Pronunciation: 'kaun-s&l
Function: noun
: a governmental body: as a : a group elected as a legislative body council> b : an administrative body <council on aging> c : an executive body whose members are equal in power and authority —compare COMMITTEE 2b
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Bible Dictionary

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.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Encyclopedia

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.

Learn more about council with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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