Consort

How to spell consort

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce consort

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does consort mean?

1. nounA companion or partner, especially the spouse of a reigning monarch.
2. verbTo keep company or associate with someone, often someone disreputable.
3. nounA small group of musicians or instruments performing together, especially early music.

Consort in a sentence

• noun

  The queen's consort attended the ceremony at her side.

• verb

  The report claimed he would consort with known criminals.

• noun

  A consort of viols played softly in the gallery.

• noun

  As royal consort, he carried no formal political power.

• verb

  Managers should not consort openly with rival firms during the bid.

• noun

  The festival opened with a Renaissance consort tuning their instruments.

Where does consort come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin consors, consortis, which described a partner who literally shared the same lot or fortune, built from con- meaning 'with' or 'together' and sors meaning 'a lot, a share, or one's allotted fate'. The same sors lies behind the English word 'sort' and even 'sorcery', since drawing lots was once a way of telling fortunes. English took consort in through Old French during the 1400s, first as a noun for a companion or partner, and especially a spouse who shares a throne. The verb sense, meaning to keep company with someone, grew out of the same idea of sharing one's lot. There is also a musical sense, a small group of players performing together, which preserves the original feel of people joined in common purpose. The trap in spelling is simply remembering the plain 'sort' inside it rather than reaching for a fancier ending.

How the word is built

• con- (with, together)
• sort (from Latin sors, sortis: a lot, share, or portion)