View synonyms for council

council

[ koun-suhl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an assembly of persons summoned or convened for consultation, deliberation, or advice.
a body of persons specially designated or selected to act in an advisory, administrative, or legislative capacity:
the governor's council on housing.
(in certain British colonies or dependencies) an executive or legislative body assisting the governor.
an ecclesiastical assembly for deciding matters of doctrine or discipline.
New Testament. the Sanhedrin or other authoritative body.

council

/ ˈkaʊnsəl /

noun

an assembly of people meeting for discussion, consultation, etc
an emergency council
a body of people elected or appointed to serve in an administrative, legislative, or advisory capacity
a student council
the council
sometimes capital the local governing authority of a town, county, etc
a meeting or the deliberation of a council
modifier of, relating to, provided for, or used by a local council
council offices
a council chamber
modifier provided by a local council, esp (of housing) at a subsidized rent
a council house
a council estate
an administrative or legislative assembly, esp the upper house of a state parliament in Australia
Christianity an assembly of bishops, theologians, and other representatives of several churches or dioceses, convened for regulating matters of doctrine or discipline

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Usage

See counsel

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Confusables 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.

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Other Words From

sub·council noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of council¹

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English co(u)nsile, from Anglo-French cuncil ( e ), Old French concile, from Late Latin concilium “synod, church council” ( Latin: “assembly”), probably equivalent to Latin con- con- + -cil(āre), combining form of calāre “to summon, convoke” + -ium -ium; Middle English -s- by association with Anglo-French cunseil counsel

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Word History and Origins

Origin of council¹

C12: from Old French concile, from Latin concilium assembly, from com- together + calāre to call; influenced also by Latin consilium advice, counsel

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Example Sentences

If councils can't make up the acute shortages of planning officers actually to process applications, then tweaking the rules will have a limited effect.

From BBC

Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong has said he plans to convene his own leadership council.

From Los Angeles Times

The summit was attended by more than 100 business leaders and public policy experts, and was hosted by the Canadian government's newly created advisory council on Canada-US relations.

From BBC

From documents we have seen, and from what Jessie and her mother, Hilda, have told us, it was about a year before she was offered an alternative place by the local council.

From BBC

In December, the City Council rejected a late effort to shift course, though some council members expressed interest in opening single-family neighborhoods to a limited amount of new development in the future.

From Los Angeles Times

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