Etymologically
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consensus

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:34. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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

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