consult
verbEtymology From Middle French consulter, from Latin cōnsultum, from cōnsultus, from cōnsulō.
8 senses
- 1To seek the opinion or advice of another; to take…
- 2To advise or offer expertise.
- 3To work as a consultant or contractor rather than as a…
- 4To ask advice of; to seek the opinion of (a person)
- 5To refer to (something) for information.
- 6To have reference to, in judging or acting; to have…
- 7To deliberate upon; to take for.
- 8To bring about by counsel or contrivance; to devise; to contrive.
1
To seek the opinion or advice of another; to take counsel; to deliberate together; to confer; to advise.
- Let us consult upon to-morrow's business.c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:
- 1661 (written), published in 1681, Thomas Hobbes, A Dialogue between a Philosopher and a Student of the Common Laws of England All the laws of England have been made by the kings of England, consulting with the nobility and commons.
1 more example
- SIR,—I have the honour to refer to your letter requesting me to desire Mr. Y. Ching-chong to come and consult with the Municipal Council, as Mr. Wood, the Chairman of that Body had informed you at a personal interview that they fully concurred in the desirability of co-operation with Mr. Ching-chong in improvements in the Honan road draining and lighting.1889 January 11 [1888 December 21], Kung Taotai, “North Honan Road.”, in M. F. A. Fraser, transl., North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, volume XLII, number 1119, Shanghai, →OCLC, page 37, column 1:
2
To advise or offer expertise.
- Well, I have a trade of my own. I suppose I am the only one in the world. I’m a consulting detective, if you can understand what that is.1887, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “A Study in Scarlet”, in Beeton’s Christmas Annual, London; New York, N.Y.: Ward, Lock & Co., part I (Being a reprint from the reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D., […]), chapter II (The Science of Deduction), page 13:
3
To work as a consultant or contractor rather than as a full-time employee of a firm.
4
To ask advice of; to seek the opinion of (a person)
- If you have no library commission, consult a lawyer and get from him a careful statement of what can be done under present statutory regulations.1899, John Cotton Dana, chapter 1, in A Library Primer:
5
To refer to (something) for information.
- Which reminds me that I have never remembered from that hour to consult the dictionary upon a selvage.1904, Guy Wetmore Carryl, chapter 3, in Far from the Maddening Girls:
- Men forgot, or feared, to consult nature, to seek for new truths, to do what the great discoverers of other times had done; they were content to consult libraries.1837, William Whewell, History of the Inductive Sciences:
6
To have reference to, in judging or acting; to have regard to; to consider; as, to consult one's wishes.
- We are […] to consult the necessities of life, rather than matters of ornament and delight.1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC:
7
Obsolete To deliberate upon; to take for.
- Many things were there consulted for the future, yet nothing was positively resolved.1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, (please specify |book=I to XVI), in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the [Sheldonian] Theater:
8
Obsolete To bring about by counsel or contrivance; to devise; to contrive.
- Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Habakkuk 2:10:
- Synonyms
- refer
- Derived terms
- consultability, consultable, consultancy, consultative, consultee, consulter, consulting room, consultive, consultor, consultress, e-consulting, nonconsulted, nonconsulting, reconsult, teleconsult, unconsulted, unconsulting
- Related terms
- consultant, consultation