English
council
Council comes from Middle English counseil ‘meeting, conference, commune’, from Old French conseil ‘advice, deliberation, thought’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- ‘take, grab’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*selh₁-1‘take’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsulō1‘consult’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsilium1‘plan’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400conseil1‘advice’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500counseil1‘meeting’
- Englishearliest quotation 1715–1720council1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English council
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1715–1720, Homer, Book IV: “O great in action and in council wise.”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*selh₁-Wiktionary, English council‘take’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsulōWiktionary, English council‘consult’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsiliumWiktionary, English council‘plan’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400conseilWiktionary, English council‘advice’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500counseilWiktionary, English council‘meeting’
- Englishearliest quotation 1715–1720councilWiktionary, English council. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1715–1720, Homer, Book IV: “O great in action and in council wise.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- ‘take, grab’
through Latin cōnsulō ‘consult, seek counsel from, take counsel from,…’
through Latin cōnsilium ‘plan, intention, design, purpose’
through Middle English counseil ‘meeting, conference, commune’
Today it means
noun A committee that leads or governs (e.g. city council, student council).
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “council”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- / council