Etymologically
Log in

consensual

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 1 November 2026 at 02:59. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /kənˈsɛnʃuəl/[1]

Etymology

The OED takes it as borrowed from New Latin consensualis, recorded from 1584,[2] from classical Latin consēnsus (“agreement, accord”) and the suffix -ālis.[2][3] Other dictionaries analyse it as consensus with the English suffix -al.[4][5][6][7][8][3] The Latin noun is the past participle of consentiō (“to feel together, agree”),[8][7] formed from com- (“with, together”) and sentiō (“to feel”).[8] A variant consentual was remodelled after consent.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In physiology, resulting from a special relationship between two parts of the body: 1662, in J. Chandler's translation of van Helmont's Oriatrike.[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date the word to 1754.[8][4]

Semantic evolution

The word was first used in physiology, of a part of the body that responds in sympathy with another,[2] and later of reflexes, such as the reaction of both eyes to a light shone into one.[5][6] From 1689 it also meant relating to or involving consent,[2] and in the early 18th century it began to be used in Roman law of a contract that needs only the agreement of the parties, without any written act.[2][5][4] According to Etymonline, it was used almost only of legal contracts and of the eyes working together until modern times; sociology and psychology widened it in the 1950s, to social groups and marriages that were not arranged,[8] and it was used of sexual activity from 1961, in legal discussions of rape by 1977.[2][8]

Timeline

  • 1662 – physiology, involving a special relationship between two parts of the body.[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date the word to 1754.[8][4]
  • 1689 – relating to or involving consent; agreed to by those involved.[2]
  • before 1715 – Roman law, of a contract based only on the consent of the parties.[2]
  • 1950s – extended in sociology and psychology to social groups and to marriages that were not arranged.[8]
  • 1961 – of sexual activity, taking place with the willing consent of those involved.[2] Etymonline finds it in legal discussions of rape by 1977.[8]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Done or taking place with the consent of everyone involved, especially of sexual activity between adults: a consensual relationship.[6][4][2]
  2. Based on general agreement or consensus: The committee preferred a consensual style of decision-making.[4][2]
  3. (law) Of a contract or agreement: existing by mutual consent alone, without a written act.[6][4][2]
  4. (physiology) Of a reflex or other involuntary response: occurring in one part of the body when another part is stimulated, as when both eyes react to a stimulus applied to only one.[6][4][5]

Word family

  • consensually

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  7. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com