consensus

consensus

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cōnsēnsus (agreement, accordance, unanimity), from cōnsentiō (feel together; agree); see consent.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kənˈsɛnsəs/
  • Audio (Canada):(file)
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

consensus (countable and uncountable, plural consensuses or consensus)

  1. A process of decision-making that seeks widespread agreement among group members.
  2. General agreement among the members of a given group or community, each member of which exercises some discretion in decision-making and follow-up action.
    reach consensus
    After years of debate over the best wine to serve at Thanksgiving, no real consensus has emerged.
  3. (computing) An agreement on some data value that is needed during computation.
  4. (attributive) Average projected value.
    a financial consensus forecast

Antonyms

Derived terms

Category English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *sent- (feel) not found

Collocations

Translations

Verb

consensus (third-person singular simple present consensuses, present participle consensusing, simple past and past participle consensused)

  1. (ambitransitive) To seek consensus; to hold discussions with the aim of reaching mutual agreement.
    • 1975, United States Bureau of the Census, The Census Bureau, page 168:
      I think we are a strongly consensused society. There was a consensus during the 1950's, the Eisenhower years, in our society. Then in the 1960's came a period of division.
    • 1992, United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Subcommittee on Environment, The Science of Wetland Definition and Delineation: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Environment of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Second Congress, First Session, November 12, 1991, page 185:
      None of this consensusing was done with the Manual. There were no national workshops, forums, etc.

Further reading

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cōnsēnsus or English consensus, itself borrowed from Latin.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌkɔnˈsɛn.zʏs/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: con‧sen‧sus

Noun

consensus m (uncountable, no diminutive)

  1. consensus

Synonyms

Descendants

  • Papiamentu: kònsènsùs
  • Indonesian: konsènsus

French

Etymology

    Borrowed from Latin cōnsēnsus (agreement, accordance, unanimity).

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    consensus m (invariable)

    1. consensus

    Further reading

    Latin

    Etymology

    From cōnsentiō (feel together; agree), from con- (together) and sentiō (sense; perceive; feel).

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    cōnsēnsus m (genitive cōnsēnsūs); fourth declension

    1. Consensus, agreement, accordance, unanimity, concord, harmony.
      Synonyms: cōnsēnsiō, concordia, cōnspīrātiō, congruentia
      Antonyms: discordia, dissidentia, dissēnsiō
    2. A plot, conspiracy.
      Synonyms: cōnsēnsiō, cōnspīrātiō, coniūrātiō

    Declension

    Fourth-declension noun.

    singular plural
    nominative cōnsēnsus cōnsēnsūs
    genitive cōnsēnsūs cōnsēnsuum
    dative cōnsēnsuī cōnsēnsibus
    accusative cōnsēnsum cōnsēnsūs
    ablative cōnsēnsū cōnsēnsibus
    vocative cōnsēnsus cōnsēnsūs

    Synonyms

    Descendants

    Adjective

    cōnsēnsus (feminine cōnsēnsa, neuter cōnsēnsum); first/second-declension adjective

    1. (rare) agreed upon

    Declension

    First/second-declension adjective.

    References

    • consensus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
    • consensus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
    • "consensus", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
    • consensus”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
    • Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
      • the perfect harmony of the universe: totius mundi convenientia et consensus
      • unanimously: uno, communi, summo or omnium consensu (Tusc. 1. 15. 35)
    • consensus”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
    • consensus”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin