council

/ˈkaʊnsəl/

/ˈkaʊnsɪl/

Other forms: councils

A council is a group of people that gathers for the purpose of giving advice or making decisions. If you’re president of the student council, for example, you might organize people to get the hallways at your school painted purple.

Council comes from the Latin word concilium for "group of people, meeting," which is what it basically means today. There are student councils, honor councils, or city councils, to name a few. People working together to take care of business — that’s a council. Of course, that council might give advice, or counsel (with an s) people on what to do. Not the same word — an honor council might counsel a principal about how to address cheating in school, for example.

Definitions of council

1. noun

   a body serving in an administrative capacity
   “student council”

   types:

   Sanhedrin

   the supreme judicial and ecclesiastical council of ancient Jerusalem

   SC, Security Council

   a permanent council of the United Nations; responsible for preserving world peace

   TC, Trusteeship Council

   a permanent council of the United Nations that commissions a country (or countries) to undertake the administration of a territory

   ECOSOC, Economic and Social Council

   a permanent council of the United Nations; responsible for economic and social conditions

   NAC, North Atlantic Council

   a council consisting of permanent representatives of all the member countries of NATO; has political authority and powers of decision

   city council

   a municipal body that can pass ordinances and appropriate funds etc.

   executive council

   a council that shares the supreme executive power

   panchayat, panchayet, punchayet

   a village council in India or southern Pakistan

   privy council

   an advisory council to a ruler (especially to the British Crown)

   works council

   (chiefly Brit) a council representing employer and employees of a plant or business to discuss working conditions etc; also: a committee representing the workers elected to negotiate with management about grievances and wages etc

   soviet

   an elected governmental council in a communist country (especially one that is a member of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)

   world council

   a council with representatives from different nations

   divan, diwan

   a Muslim council of state

   World Council of Churches

   an ecumenical organization of Protestant and eastern churches; intended to promote unity and cooperation in religious and secular matters

   type of:

   administrative body, administrative unit

   a unit with administrative responsibilities
2. noun

   (Christianity) an assembly of theologians and bishops and other representatives of different churches or dioceses that is convened to regulate matters of discipline or doctrine
   types:

   ecumenical council

   (early Christian church) one of seven gatherings of bishops from around the known world under the presidency of the Pope to regulate matters of faith and morals and discipline

   Constantinople, Fourth Council of Constantinople

   the council in 869 that condemned Photius who had become the patriarch of Constantinople without approval from the Vatican, thereby precipitating the schism between the eastern and western churches

   Lateran Council

   any of five general councils of the Western Catholic Church that were held in the Lateran Palace

   First Council of Lyons, Lyons

   the council of the Western Church in 1245 that excommunicated Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and planned a new crusade against the Holy Land

   Lyons, Second Council of Lyons

   the council in 1274 that effected a temporary reunion of the Greek Orthodox with the Roman Catholic Church

   Council of Vienne, Vienne

   the council in 1311-1313 that dealt with alleged crimes of the Knights Templar, planned a new crusade, and took on the reformation of the clergy

   Constance, Council of Constance

   the council in 1414-1418 that succeeded in ending the Great Schism in the Roman Catholic Church

   Council of Basel-Ferrara-Florence

   the council in 1431-1439 that concentrated on the elimination of heresies and on reforms within the Roman Catholic Church

   Council of Trent

   a council of the Roman Catholic Church convened in Trento in three sessions between 1545 and 1563 to examine and condemn the teachings of Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers; redefined the Roman Catholic doctrine and abolished various ecclesiastical abuses and strengthened the papacy

   Vatican Council

   each of two councils of the Roman Catholic Church

   First Council of Nicaea, Nicaea

   the first ecumenical council in 325 which produced the wording of the Nicene Creed and condemned the heresy of Arianism

   Constantinople, First Council of Constantinople

   the second ecumenical council in 381 which added wording about the Holy Spirit to the Nicene Creed

   Council of Ephesus, Ephesus

   the third ecumenical council in 431 which declared Mary as mother of God and condemned Pelagius

   Chalcedon, Council of Chalcedon

   the fourth ecumenical council in 451 which defined the two natures (human and divine) of Christ

   Constantinople, Second Council of Constantinople

   the fifth ecumenical council in 553 which held Origen's writings to be heretic

   Constantinople, Third Council of Constantinople

   the sixth ecumenical council in 680-681 which condemned Monothelitism by defining two wills in Christ, divine and human

   Nicaea, Second Council of Nicaea

   the seventh ecumenical council in 787 which refuted iconoclasm and regulated the veneration of holy images

   First Lateran Council

   the first council of the Western Church held in the Lateran Palace in 1123; focused on church discipline and made plans to recover the Holy Lands from the Muslim `infidels'

   Second Lateran Council

   the second council of the Western Church in 1139 which put an end to the dogmatic errors of Arnold of Brescia

   Third Lateran Council

   the Lateran Council in 1179 that condemned the heresies of the Albigenses and the Waldenses

   Fourth Lateran Council

   the Lateran Council in 1215 was the most important council of the Middle Ages; issued a creed against Albigensianism, published reformatory decrees, promulgated the doctrine of transubstantiation, and clarified church doctrine on the Trinity and Incarnation

   Fifth Lateran Council

   the council in 1512-1517 that published disciplinary decrees and planned (but did not carry out) a crusade against Turkey

   First Vatican Council, Vatican I

   the Vatican Council in 1869-1870 that proclaimed the infallibility of the pope when speaking ex cathedra

   Second Vatican Council, Vatican II

   the Vatican Council in 1962-1965 that abandoned the universal Latin liturgy and acknowledged ecumenism and made other reforms

   type of:

   assembly

   a group of persons who are gathered together for a common purpose
3. noun

   a meeting of people for consultation
   “emergency council”

   types:

   indaba

   a council at which indigenous peoples of southern Africa meet to discuss some important question

   Jirga

   a Pashto term for a decision making assembly of male elders

   powwow

   a council of or with Native Americans

   synod

   a council convened to discuss ecclesiastical business

   Loya Jirga

   a grand council or grand assembly used to resolve political conflicts or other national problems

   type of:

   group meeting, meeting

   a formally arranged gathering