# counsel

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

## Noun

1. Advice or guidance offered to help someone decide on a course of action.
   - Simple: Helpful advice that someone gives to guide a choice.
   - _She sought her mentor's counsel before accepting the offer._
   - _The elder's counsel carried weight in every family decision._
2. A lawyer, especially one engaged to present a case in court, as in the British titles King's Counsel (KC) and Queen's Counsel (QC).
   - Simple: A lawyer who speaks for someone in court.
   - _The court appointed counsel to represent the indigent defendant._
   - _Senior counsel advised the company throughout the merger dispute._
5. The act of talking a matter over and trading advice, especially on a legal question.
   - Simple: A meeting where people share opinions and advice, often about legal matters.
   - _The board held counsel late into the night over the proposed merger._
   - _They sought counsel together before responding to the lawsuit._
6. The exercise of careful, sound judgment in deciding how to act.
   - Simple: Good sense and care shown in making choices.
   - _He showed remarkable counsel in handling the crisis._
   - _Rashness ruled where counsel should have, and the expedition ran out of water within a week._
7. A deliberate purpose or plan; one's settled intention or design.
   - Simple: A secret plan or purpose that someone keeps in mind.
   - _He kept his own counsel, revealing his intentions to no one._
   - _Their counsel was to wait until winter before advancing._

## Verb

3. To advise someone, particularly in a professional capacity.
   - Simple: To give someone advice, often as part of a job.
   - _The therapist counseled the couple through their difficulties._
   - _Career advisors counsel graduates on how to approach interviews._
4. To recommend a particular course of action.
   - Simple: To suggest something as a good thing to do.
   - _Financial advisors counsel diversification to reduce risk._
   - _The committee counseled a delay until more data arrived._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 5–7** — This comes from Middle English counseil, from Old French conseil, from Latin cōnsilium, which is akin to cōnsulō ('take counsel, consult').
**Meanings 3–4** — This comes from Middle English counseilen, from Old French conseiller, from Latin cōnsilior, itself from cōnsilium.

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