council

name

1. A surname.
2. A male given name.
3. A small city, the county seat of Adams County, Idaho, United States.

noun

Etymology: Inherited from Middle English counseil, from Old French conseil, from late Latin cōnsilium; with the spelling in -c- adopted after Latin concilium in Early Modern English, though some senses of counseil were influenced by Old French concile, a semi-learned borrowing from concilium. Doublet of concelho and counsel.

1. A committee that leads or governs (e.g. city council, student council).

   “He turned back to the scene before him and the enormous new block of council dwellings. The design was some way after Corbusier but the block was built up on plinths and resembled an Atlantic liner swimming diagonally across the site.”

   “The comments were made at a council meeting last month, during which one councillor questioned whether changing the names would be pushing reconciliation efforts along too quickly. […] At a city council meeting on Oct. 8, Campbell River councillors discussed a letter sent by the B.C. Geographical Names Office inviting comments on the name changes.”

2. A committee that leads or governs (e.g. city council, student council).
3. Discussion or deliberation.

   “Satan […] void of rest, / His potentates to council called by night;”

   “O great in action and in council wise.”

4. Short for church council

   “the First Council of Nicaea”