consensus

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kənˈsɛnsəs/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin cōnsēnsus (“agreement, accord, common feeling”),^[2][3][4] from the past participle of cōnsentīre (“to feel together, agree”) (see consent),^[2][3][5] from com-, together, and sentīre, to feel (see sense).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Agreement: 1633, an isolated or nonce use.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

It was borrowed again in 1843, in John Stuart Mill's System of Logic.^[2][4] In physiology, the concord of different organs in effecting a purpose is from 1854.^[3][6] Agreement in opinion, the collective opinion of a group, is from 1861,^[3][6] and consensus of opinion from 1858.^[6] Consensual is from 1754.^[2]

Timeline

• 1633 – isolated use.^[2]
• 1843 – in Mill.^[2]
• 1854 – in physiology.^[6]
• 1858 – consensus of opinion.^[6]
• 1861 – general agreement.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An opinion or position reached by a group as a whole.
2. General or widespread agreement.

Word family

• consensual

Related words

• consent
• sense
• sentiment
• assent

Usage notes

Collins advises avoiding consensus of opinion, since consensus already refers to a collective opinion.^[7]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins