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consistory

[ kuhn-sis-tuh-ree ]

noun

, plural con·sis·to·ries.
  1. any of various ecclesiastical councils or tribunals.
  2. the place where such a council or tribunal meets.
  3. the meeting of any such body.
  4. Roman Catholic Church. a solemn assembly of the whole body of cardinals, summoned and presided over by the pope.
  5. Anglican Church. a diocesan court for dealing with ecclesiastical and spiritual questions, held in the cathedral church and presided over by the bishop, the bishop's chancellor, or the commissary.
  6. (in certain Reformed churches) the governing board of a local church or congregation.
  7. any assembly or council.
  8. Obsolete. a council chamber.


consistory

/ ˌkɒnsɪˈstɔːrɪəl; kənˈsɪstərɪ /

noun

  1. Church of England
    1. the court of a diocese (other than Canterbury) administering ecclesiastical law
    2. the area in a church where the consistory meets
  2. RC Church an assembly of the cardinals and the pope
  3. (in certain Reformed Churches) the governing body of a local congregation or church
  4. archaic.
    a council or assembly
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • consistorial, adjective
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Other Words From

  • con·sis·to·ri·al [kon-si-, stawr, -ee-, uh, l, -, stohr, -], consis·tori·an adjective
  • noncon·sis·tori·al adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of consistory1

1275–1325; Middle English consistorie < Anglo-French < Late Latin consistōrium meeting place, equivalent to Latin consist ( ere ) ( consist ) + -( t ) ōrium -tory 2
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Word History and Origins

Origin of consistory1

C14: from Old French consistorie, from Medieval Latin consistōrium ecclesiastical tribunal, ultimately from Latin consistere to stand still
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Example Sentences

But at a consistory of cardinals in Vatican City on Monday, Francis made his case.

He created in the Consistory a Calvinistic inquisition, absolutely similar to the revolutionary tribunal of Robespierre.

This end of the transept was till quite recently railed off, and used as the consistory court of the Chancellor of Carlisle.

On January 2, 1821, the property was finally deeded to the consistory.

In 1843, on the land back of the church the "Consistory Building" was erected.

But the consistory could not itself inflict punishment; that was the province of the civil government.

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