consistory

[ kuhn-sis-tuh-ree ]

/ kənˈsɪs tə ri /

Save This Word!

noun, plural con·sis·to·ries.

any of various ecclesiastical councils or tribunals.

the place where such a council or tribunal meets.

the meeting of any such body.

Roman Catholic Church. a solemn assembly of the whole body of cardinals, summoned and presided over by the pope.

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.

(in certain Reformed churches) the governing board of a local church or congregation.

any assembly or council.

Obsolete. a council chamber.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of consistory

1275–1325; Middle English consistorie<Anglo-French <Late Latin consistōrium meeting place, equivalent to Latin consist(ere) (see consist) + -(t)ōrium-tory²

OTHER WORDS FROM consistory

con·sis·to·ri·al

[kon-si-stawr-ee-uhl, -stohr-], /ˌkɒn sɪˈstɔr i əl, -ˈstoʊr-/, con·sis·to·ri·an, adjectivenon·con·sis·to·ri·al, adjective

Words nearby consistory

consistency, consistency principle, consistent, consistent equations, consistently, consistory, consociate, consociation, consocies, consol, consolation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use consistory in a sentence

But at a consistory of cardinals in Vatican City on Monday, Francis made his case.
The Pope’s Risky Trip|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He created in the Consistory a Calvinistic inquisition, absolutely similar to the revolutionary tribunal of Robespierre.
Catherine de' Medici|Honore de Balzac
This end of the transept was till quite recently railed off, and used as the consistory court of the Chancellor of Carlisle.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Carlisle|C. King Eley
On January 2, 1821, the property was finally deeded to the consistory.
The Kirk on Rutgers Farm|Frederick Brckbauer

In 1843, on the land back of the church the "Consistory Building" was erected.
The Kirk on Rutgers Farm|Frederick Brckbauer
But the consistory could not itself inflict punishment; that was the province of the civil government.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume VI|John Lord

British Dictionary definitions for consistory

consistory

/ (kənˈsɪstərɪ) /

noun plural -ries

Church of England

the court of a diocese (other than Canterbury) administering ecclesiastical law
the area in a church where the consistory meets

RC Church an assembly of the cardinals and the pope

(in certain Reformed Churches) the governing body of a local congregation or church

archaic a council or assembly

Derived forms of consistory

consistorial (ˌkɒnsɪˈstɔːrɪəl) or consistorian, adjective

Word Origin for consistory

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

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