Counsel

How to spell counsel

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce counsel

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does counsel mean?

1. nounAdvice or guidance given after careful thought.
2. nounA lawyer or barrister who advises and represents a client in court.
3. verbTo advise or guide someone after careful consideration.

Counsel in a sentence

• noun

  She sought wise counsel before accepting the job offer.

• noun

  The defendant was advised by experienced counsel throughout the trial.

• verb

  The charity trains volunteers to counsel people through bereavement.

• noun

  His grandfather offered steady counsel during the difficult divorce.

• noun

  The firm appointed senior counsel to handle the appeal.

• verb

  A good mentor will counsel a junior employee without taking over.

Where does counsel come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word travelled into English from the Latin consilium, which meant a plan, deliberation, or piece of advice, and was itself tied to the verb consulere, meaning 'to consult' or 'to take counsel'. The literal idea behind consilium was people coming together to think something through, since the prefix con- means 'together'. English picked it up through Old French conseil in the 1200s, when it referred to advice given after careful thought. Over the centuries the meaning broadened to cover the person who gives such advice, which is why a barrister or legal adviser is now simply called counsel. The spelling trap is its near twin council, an assembly of people, which arrived from a different Latin word concilium (a gathering); counsel is the advice, council is the committee, and keeping the -sel ending tied to consultation helps separate them.

How the word is built

• coun- (from con-, together)
• -sel (from Latin consilium: advice, deliberation)

Words that sound like counsel

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• council: An assembly or elected body of people that meets to make decisions, advise, or govern.