# council

Pronunciation: say "KOWN-suhl" /ˈkaʊn.səl/

## Noun

1. A body of people who lead or govern an organization, city, school, or similar group.
   - Simple: A group of people chosen to make decisions and run a town, school, or other group.
   - _The council approved funding for the new library after a long debate._
   - _After a heated meeting, the club's council voted to raise membership fees for the first time in a decade._
2. The elected local authority responsible for public services such as housing, roads, and waste collection in a given area. *(UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand)*
   - Simple: The local government body that runs public services for a town or area.
   - _Westminster Council approved the new housing development near the river._
   - _Local councils across the region warned of cuts to public services._
3. A body of people whose job is to advise on, supervise, or pay for work in a particular area, not to govern.
   - Simple: A group chosen to give advice on, check, or pay for work in one area, not to rule.
   - _The research council awarded her lab a three-year grant to study drought-resistant crops._
   - _An independent council of scientists oversees safety standards at the country's nuclear plants._
4. Short for church council. — Short for church council
   - Simple: Short for church council. Use it to mean a formal meeting of church leaders.
   - _The council declared the new doctrine contrary to scripture._
   - _Every bishop who attended the council signed its final decree._
5. Discussion of a matter, or careful deliberation about what to do.
   - Simple: The act of talking something over carefully before making a choice.
   - _The chiefs gathered in solemn council to weigh the terms of peace._
   - _The general called his officers to council the night before the attack._

## Origin

The word comes from Middle English counseil, which came through Anglo-Norman cuncile and Old French concile from Latin concilium. It is a doublet of concelho.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/council (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).