Consultant
nounA person who provides expert professional advice to organisations or individuals for a fee.
How to spell consultant
10 letters · 3 syllables
How to pronounce consultant
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does consultant mean?
- nounA person who provides expert professional advice to organisations or individuals for a fee.
Consultant in a sentence
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The firm hired an outside consultant to review its finances.
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As a marketing consultant she advised several startups at once.
Where does consultant come from?
Language of origin: Latin
This word traces back to the Latin verb consultare, meaning 'to take counsel, to deliberate carefully', which is a frequentative form of consulere, 'to consult or seek advice'. That underlying verb may originally have meant 'to call together' a group of advisers, the way a Roman magistrate would summon the senate. English took the verb 'consult' from French consulter in the 1500s, and the agent noun 'consultant' followed, describing a person who is consulted for expert advice. The spelling preserves the Latin -ant ending used for someone who performs an action, which is why the word ends in -ant rather than -ent, a distinction that trips up many writers. The same consul- root sits behind 'consul' and 'counsel', relatives worth keeping in mind when you reach for the spelling.
How the word is built
- consult- (from Latin consultare: to take counsel, deliberate)
- -ant (noun suffix: one who does)
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