consort

American  

[kon-sawrt, kuhn-sawrt] / ˈkɒn sɔrt, kənˈsɔrt /

noun

1. a husband or wife; spouse, especially of a reigning monarch.

2. one vessel or ship accompanying another.

3. Music.

   1. a group of instrumentalists and singers who perform music, especially old music.

   2. a group of instruments of the same family, as viols, played in concert.

4. a companion, associate, or partner.

   a confidant and consort of heads of state.

5. accord or agreement.

6. Obsolete.

   1. company or association.

   2. harmony of sounds.

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verb (used without object)

1. to associate; keep company.

   to consort with known criminals.

2. to agree or harmonize.

verb (used with object)

1. to associate, join, or unite.

2. Obsolete.

   1. to accompany; espouse.

   2. to sound in harmony.

consort British  

verb

1. to keep company (with undesirable people); associate

2. (intr) to agree or harmonize

3. rare (tr) to combine or unite

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noun

1. 1. a small group of instruments, either of the same type, such as viols, (a whole consort ) or of different types (a broken consort )

   2. ( as modifier )

      consort music

2. the husband or wife of a reigning monarch

3. a partner or companion, esp a husband or wife

4. a ship that escorts another

5. obsolete

   1. companionship or association

   2. agreement or accord

Other Word Forms

• consortable adjective
• consorter noun
• consortion noun
• nonconsorting adjective

Etymology

Origin of consort

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin consort- (stem of consors ) “sharer,” originally, “sharing” (adjective); con-, sort

Example Sentences

He and Camilla, the queen consort, arrived in Berlin on Wednesday.

From Seattle Times

Charles and Camilla, the queen consort, landed at Berlin’s government airport in the early afternoon.

From Washington Times

Camilla, the queen consort, was a guest on the show last year.

From Seattle Times

The cancellation of the France leg of the trip represented an uncomfortable moment for the country’s president, Emmanuel Macron, who had been scheduled to receive the king and queen consort in Paris on Sunday.

From New York Times

Camilla, the queen consort, appeared to offer her view at a literary reception on Thursday.

From Seattle Times