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consultative

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Etymology and origin of the English word consultative

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1583 Stubbes, Second Part of the Anatomie of Abuses
Borrowed from
Latin *consultativus
Ultimate origin
Latin consulō

Pronunciation

  • UK: /kənˈsʌltətɪv/[1]
  • US: /kənˈsʌltət̬ɪv/, /ˈkɑːntsəlteɪt̬ɪv/[1]

Etymology

The OED and Etymonline take it as borrowed from Medieval Latin *consultātīvus, a Latin type probably used in medieval Latin,[2][3] formed from the participial stem of consultō (“to consult, take the advice of”),[2][3] itself the frequentative of consulō (“to take counsel, deliberate”).[3] The OED compares French consultatif.[2] Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com instead form it in English from consultation and -ive,[4][5] and the Shorter Oxford from consult and -ative.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Having to do with consultation; having the right or power to advise or to take part in deliberation: 1583, in Stubbes's Second Part of the Anatomie of Abuses.[2][4] Etymonline dates the word to the 1580s, Dictionary.com to 1575–85.[3][5]

Semantic evolution

From the start the word was said chiefly of a body whose role is to give advice rather than to decide.[2][6] A rare noun use, a consultative voice or vote, is recorded only in 1659.[2] In modern use it describes bodies, roles and processes that involve consultation, as in a consultative committee or a consultative capacity.[7][4]

Timeline

  • 1583 – having to do with consultation; advisory, deliberative.[2][4]
  • 1659 – noun, a consultative voice or vote (rare, obsolete).[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of, relating to or involving consultation; advisory: The panel has a purely consultative role.[7][4][2]
  2. Having the right to give advice or take part in discussion, but not to make the final decision.[6][4][2]

Word family

  • consultatively
  • nonconsultative

Usage notes

Collins also records the variants consultatory and consultive, which Dictionary.com lists as well.[7][5]

References

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

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Consultative.” Etymologically, 2 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/consultative. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·