consilium

Latin

Etymology

From cōnsulō +‎ -ium. Compare cōnsidium.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /konˈsi.li.um/, [kõːˈs̠ɪlʲiʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /konˈsi.li.um/, [konˈsiːlium]

Noun

cōnsilium n (genitive cōnsiliī or cōnsilī); second declension

1. plan, intention, design, purpose

   Synonyms: voluntās, intentiō, propositum, fīnis, animus, mēns

   capere consilium/ inire consilium ― to take a resolution, to determine to perform a plan

   • c. 50 BCE, Publilius Syrus, Sententiae :

     Malum est cōnsilium, quod mūtārī nōn potest.

     Bad is the plan, which can not be changed.

   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico VII.26:

     Cōnsilium cēperunt ex oppidō profugere

     Adopted a design to flee from the town

2. counsel, advice
   • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Proverbs.8.12:

     ego sapientia habitō in cōnsiliō et ērudītīs intersum cōgitātiōnibus

     I, wisdom, dwell in counsel, and am present in learned thoughts. (Douay-Rheims trans., Challoner rev.; 1752 CE)

3. determination, resolve, resolution
4. council, advisory body
5. judgment, wisdom
6. measure (i.e., course of action)
7. device, stratagem (esp. in battle)

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	cōnsilium	cōnsilia
Genitive	cōnsiliī cōnsilī1	cōnsiliōrum
Dative	cōnsiliō	cōnsiliīs
Accusative	cōnsilium	cōnsilia
Ablative	cōnsiliō	cōnsiliīs
Vocative	cōnsilium	cōnsilia

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Related terms

• consiliarius

Descendants

• Albanian: këshill
• Asturian: conseyu
• Catalan: consell
• Corsican: cunsigliu
• Old French: conseil
  • → English: counsel
  • French: conseil
• Friulian: consei
• Galician: consello
• Italian: consiglio
• Ladino: קונסיזﬞו (konsejo), consejo
• Portuguese: conselho, consílio
• Occitan: conselh
• Romanian: consiliu
• Russian: конси́лиум (konsílium)
• Sardinian: consígiu
• Sicilian: cunzigghiu
• Spanish: consejo, consilio
• Venetian: conséjo

See also

• concilium

References

• “consilium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “consilium”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• consilium in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• consilium in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to form a plan, make a resolution: consilium capere, inire (de aliqua re, with Gen. gerund., with Inf., more rarely ut)
    
  • to give up a project, an intention: consilio desistere
    
  • to let a plan fall through: consilium abicere or deponere
    
  • to be deterred from one's intention by something: a consilio deterreri aliqua re
    
  • to adopt half-measures: mediocribus consiliis uti
    
  • to alter one's views, intentions: consilium, sententiam mutare
    
  • to go one's own way, proceed independently: suo consilio uti
    
  • (1) to communicate one's plans to some one; (2) to make common cause with a person. Similarly c. causam, rationem: consilia cum aliquo communicare
    
  • to take common counsel: consilia inter se communicare
    
  • to consult a person, take his advice: aliquem in or ad consilium adhibere
    
  • to deliberate together (of a number of people): consilium habere (de aliqua re)
    
  • to be present at secret consultations: consiliis arcanis interesse (Liv. 35. 18)
    
  • to give a person advice: consilium dare alicui
    
  • to give a person the advantage of one's advice (and actual support): aliquem consilio (et re) iuvare
    
  • I put myself at your disposal as regards advice: consilii mei copiam facio tibi
    
  • to apply to a person for advice: consilium petere ab aliquo
    
  • to be perplexed: consilii inopem esse
    
  • advice is useless in this case; the situation is very embarrassing: omnia consilia frigent (Verr. 2. 25)
    
  • without reflection; inconsiderately; rashly: nullo consilio, nulla ratione, temere
    
  • I am undecided..: incertus sum, quid consilii capiam
    
  • to abide by one's resolution: propositum, consilium tenere (opp. a proposito deterreri)
    
  • to persevere in one's resolve: in proposito susceptoque consilio permanere
    
  • to have recourse to extreme measures: descendere ad extrema consilia (Fam. 10. 33. 4)
    
  • my intention is..: consilium est c. Inf. or ut
    
  • with the intention of..: eo consilio, ea mente, ut
    
  • to make virtue the standard in every thought and act: omnia consilia et facta ad virtutem referre (Phil. 10. 10. 20)
    
  • to act reasonably, judiciously: prudenter, considerate, consilio agere (opp. temere, nullo consilio, nulla ratione)
    
  • thought and deed: consilia et facta (cf. sect. X. 1, note For 'thoughts and deeds'...)
    
  • statesmen: auctores consilii publici
    
  • a man's policy is aiming at, directed towards..: alicuius in re publica or capessendae rei publicae consilia eo spectant, ut...
    
  • a political ally: consiliorum in re publica socius
    
  • the council of the nation; the senate: publicum consilium (Phil. 7.7. 19)
    
  • to hold a council of war: consilium habere, convocare
    
  • to refer a matter to a council of war: rem ad consilium deferre
    
• “consilium”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “consilium”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

• Dizionario Latino, Olivetti