consort

See also: Consort

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French, ultimately from Latin cōnsors. As “companion or partner”, via Middle English consorte.

Pronunciation

• (noun)
  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kŏn'sôt, IPA^(key): /ˈkɒnsɔːt/
  • (General American) enPR: kän'sôrt, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑnsɔɹt/

  • Audio (US); “consort” (noun):

    (file)

• (verb)
  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kənsôt', IPA^(key): /kənˈsɔːt/
  • (General American) enPR: kənsôrt', IPA^(key): /kənˈsɔɹt/

  • Audio (US); “consort” (verb):

    (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)t

Noun

consort (countable and uncountable, plural consorts)

1. The spouse of a monarch.
   • 1862 January, [William Makepeace Thackeray], “Roundabout Papers.—No. XVIII. On Letts’s Diary.”, in The Cornhill Magazine, volume V, number 25, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], page 128:

     Wise, just, moderate, admirably pure of life, the friend of science, of freedom, of peace and all peaceful arts, the Consort of the Queen passes from our troubled sphere to that serene one where justice and peace reign eternal.

2. A husband, wife, companion or partner.
   • 1839, Charles Darwin, chapter XII, in Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty’s Ships Adventure and Beagle, between the Years 1826 and 1836, […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 257:

     In the deep and retired channels of Tierra del Fuego, the snow-white gander, invariably accompanied by his darker consort, and standing close by each other on some distant rocky point, is a common feature in the landscape.

3. (euphemistic, sometimes humorous) An informal, usually well-publicized sexual companion of a monarch, aristocrat, celebrity, etc.
   • 1717, John Dryden, “Book X. [The Story of Pygmalion, and the Statue.]”, in Ovid’s Metamorphoses in Fifteen Books. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 343:

     Pygmalion loathing their laſcivious Life, / Abhorr’d all Womankind, but moſt a Wife: / So ſingle choſe to live, and ſhunn’d to wed, / Well pleas’d to want a Conſort of his Bed.

4. A ship accompanying another.
5. (uncountable) Association or partnership.
   • 1687, Francis Atterbury, An Answer to Some Considerations on the Spirit of Martin Luther and the Original of the Reformation; […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [Sheldonian] Theater, →OCLC, page 22:

     That which gives diſtaſt to the Ear in it is a German by-word: and ſuch kind of things L^r. according to the humor of thoſe times, purſues with ſome fondneſs: take it ſingly, and it carries an air of levity, I confeſs; but, in conſort with the reſt, you ſee, has a meaning quite different from what this Author would inſinuate.

6. A group or company, especially of musicians playing the same type of instrument.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 22, page 277:

     On thother ſide in one conſort there ſate, / Cruell Reuenge, and rancorous Deſpight, / Diſloyall Treaſon, and hart-burning Hate, […]

   • 1633, George Herbert, Employment:

     Lord, place me in thy consort.

7. (obsolete) Harmony of sounds; concert, as of musical instruments.
   • 1595, Ed. Spencer [i.e., Edmund Spenser], “Astrophel. A Pastoral Elegie vpon the Death of the Most Noble and Valorous Knight, Sir Philip Sidney.”, in Colin Clouts Come Home Againe, London: […] T[homas] C[reede] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, signature H2, verso:

     Sith then, it ſeemeth each thing to his powre / Doth vs inuite to make a ſad conſort; / Come let vs ioyne our mournfull ſong with theirs.

   • 1646 (indicated as 1645), John Milton, “At a Solemn Musick”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], →OCLC, page 23:

     O may we ſoon again renew that Song, / And keep in tune with Heav’n, till God ere long / To his celeſtial conſort us unite, / To live with him, and ſing in endles morn of light.

Synonyms

• (husband, wife, companion, partner): Thesaurus:spouse, companion, escort
• (association, partnership): association, partnership
• (group of musicians): band, group

Derived terms

• broken consort
• consortism
• consortship

 

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ser- (4 c, 0 e)

Translations

spouse of a monarch

• Afrikaans: gemaal m, gemalin f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 皇后 (zh) (huánghòu)

• Danish: gemal c (male), gemalinde (da) c (female)
• Dutch: gemaal (nl) m, gemalin (nl) f
• French: consort (fr) m
• German: Gemahl (de) m, Gemahlin (de) f (female)
• Greek: σύζυγος μονάρχη m or f (sýzygos monárchi)
• Hebrew: שֵׁגָל (he) f (shegál) (biblical)
• Khmer: រាជពន្ធភាព (riech pʊən pʰiep)
• Macedonian: со́пруг m (sóprug), со́пруга f (sópruga)
• Malayalam: പത്നി (ml) (patni)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gemalinne m or f (female)

  Nynorsk: gemalinne f (female)

• Old English: efnhlytta m
• Sotho: mosadi wa kgosi f, monna wa kgosihadi m
• Spanish: consorte (es) m or f
• Swedish: gemål (sv) c

husband, wife, companion or partner

• Arabic: عشيق
• Danish: gemal c (male), gemalinde (da) c (female)
• French: consort (fr) n
• Georgian: მეუღლე (meuɣle)
• Greek: σύζυγος (el) m or f (sýzygos)
• Hungarian: hitves (hu)
• Italian: consorte (it) m or f
• Khmer: ពន្ធភាព (pʊən pʰiep)
• Macedonian: со́пруг m (sóprug), со́пруга f (sópruga)
• Malayalam: പത്നി (ml) (patni)
• Mandarin: 老婆 (zh)
• Old English: efnhlytta m
• Ottoman Turkish: اش (eş), زوج (zevc), عرس (ʿırs)
• Polish: małżonek (pl) m, małżonka (pl) f
• Russian: супру́г (ru) m (suprúg), супру́га (ru) f (suprúga)
• Spanish: consorte (es) m or f
• Swedish: gemål (sv) c

ship accompanying another

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 僚舰 (liáojiàn);僚艇 (liáotǐng)

• French: navire d’accompagnement
• Russian: кора́бль сопровождения (koráblʹ soprovoždenija)

association or partnership

• French: bitch (fr)
• Mandarin: 夥伴／伙伴 (zh) (huǒbàn)
• Spanish: consorcio (es) m (business)

group or company, especially of musicians playing the same type of instrument

• French: bitch (fr) m

Adjective

consort (not comparable)

2. (postpositive) of a title, by virtue of one's (living) spouse; often contrasted with regnant and dowager

   Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother took on nearly as many duties as queen dowager, after her husband's death, as she had had when she was queen consort during his reign.

Derived terms

• king consort
• prince consort
• princess consort
• queen consort

See also

• queen dowager
• queen regnant
• regnant

Verb

consort (third-person singular simple present consorts, present participle consorting, simple past and past participle consorted)

1. (intransitive) To associate or keep company (with).
   • 1610, Alexander Cooke, Pope Joane, in William Oldys, editor, The Harleian Miscellany: or, A Collection of Scarce, Curious, and Entertaining Pamphlets and Tracts, as well in Manuscript as in Print, Found in the Late Earl of Oxford's Library: Interspersed with Historical, Political, and Critical Notes: With a Table of the Contents, and an Alphabetical Index, volume IV, London: Printed for T[homas] Osborne, in Gray's-Inn, 1744, OCLC 5325177; republished as John Maltham, editor, The Harleian Miscellany; or, A Collection of Scarce, Curious, and Entertaining Pamphlets and Tracts, as well in Manuscript as in Print, Found in the Late Earl of Oxford's Library, Interspersed with Historical, Political, and Critical Notes, volume IV, London: Printed for R. Dutton, 1808–1811, OCLC 30776079, page 95:

     If there bee any lasie fellow, any that cannot away with worke, any that would wallow in pleasures, hee is hastie to be priested. And when hee is made one, and has gotten a benefice, he consorts with his neighbour priests, who are altogether given to pleasures; and then both hee, and they, live, not like Christians, but like epicures; drinking, eating, feasting, and revelling, till the cow come home, as the saying is.

   • 1717, John Dryden, “Book XIII. [The Speeches of Ajax and Ulysses.]”, in Ovid’s Metamorphoses in Fifteen Books. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 447:

     Which of the Grecian Chiefs conſorts with Thee?

   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “A Bosom Friend”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 55:

     I had noticed also that Queequeg never consorted at all, or but very little, with the other seamen in the inn.

   • 1961, J. A. Philip, “Mimesis in the Sophistês of Plato,”, in Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, volume 92, page 457:

     Being itself inferior and consorting with an inferior faculty it begets inferior offspring.

2. (intransitive) To be in agreement.

Synonyms

• (associate or keep company): hang out (slang)
• (be in agreement): agree, concur
• (associate or unite in company with): associate, hang out (slang)

Derived terms

• consortable
• consorter
• nonconsorting

 

Translations

associate or keep company

• Azerbaijani: oturub-durmaq (colloquial)
• Bulgarian: придружавам (bg) (pridružavam)
• Greek:

  Ancient: μεθομιλέω (methomiléō)

• Macedonian: се дру́жи (se drúži)

be in agreement

• Bulgarian: погаждам се (pogaždam se)

associate or unite in company with

• Bulgarian: общувам (bg) (obštuvam)
• Macedonian: се дру́жи (se drúži), о́пшти (ópšti)

Anagrams

• Croston, Scorton, cortons, crotons

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cōnsors.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [kunˈsɔrt]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [konˈsɔrt]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [konˈsɔɾt]
• Rhymes: -ɔɾt

Noun

consort m or f by sense (plural consorts)

1. partner, consort
2. (law) spouse

   Synonym: cònjuge

3. (law) accomplice

   Synonym: partícip

4. (law) joinder

   Synonym: litisconsort

Derived terms

• litisconsort

Related terms

• consorci

Further reading

• “consort” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “consort”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “consort” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cōnsortem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.sɔʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

consort f (plural consorts)

1. consort
2. (plural only, preceded by et, slightly derogatory) minions, associates; the likes

   Facebook, Myspace et consorts.

   Facebook, Myspace and the likes.

Further reading

• “consort”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French consort, from Latin consors.

Noun

consort m (plural consorți)

1. consort

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	consort	consortul		consorți	consorții
genitive-dative	consort	consortului		consorți	consorților
vocative	consortule			consorților