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console1

[kuh n-sohl]
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verb (used with object), con·soled, con·sol·ing.
  1. to alleviate or lessen the grief, sorrow, or disappointment of; give solace or comfort: Only his children could console him when his wife died.
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Origin of console1

1685–95; (< French consoler) < Latin consōlārī, equivalent to con- con- + sōlārī to soothe (see solace); perhaps akin to Old English sǣl happiness (see seely)
Related formscon·sol·a·ble, adjectivecon·sol·er, nouncon·sol·ing·ly, adverbnon·con·sol·a·ble, adjectivenon·con·sol·ing, adjectivenon·con·sol·ing·ly, adverbself-con·sol·ing, adjectiveun·con·sol·a·ble, adjectiveun·con·sol·a·bly, adverbun·con·soled, adjectiveun·con·sol·ing, adjectiveun·con·sol·ing·ly, adverb

Synonym study

See comfort.

console2

[kon-sohl]
noun
  1. Also called game(s) console, gaming console, video-game console. a computer system specially made for playing video games by connecting it to a television or other display for video and sound.
  2. the control or monitoring unit of a computer, containing the keyboard or keys, switches, etc.
  3. a television, phonograph, or radio cabinet designed to stand on the floor rather than on a table or shelf.
  4. a desklike structure containing the keyboards, pedals, etc., by means of which an organ is played.
  5. a small cabinet standing on the floor and having doors.
  6. console table.
  7. the control unit of a mechanical, electrical, or electronic system: the console that controls a theater's lighting system.
  8. Architecture. an ornamental corbel or bracket, especially one high in relation to its projection.
  9. Automotive. a tray or container typically divided into compartments, mounted between bucket seats, and used for storing small items.
  10. Nautical. a unit on a vessel containing steering apparatus, systems monitoring equipment, etc.: a bridge console, an engine-room console.
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Origin of console2

1700–10; < French; Middle French consolle bracket or support, apparently shortening of consolateur (attested in MF with same sense) literally, one who consoles (< Late Latin consōlātor; see console1, -ator), perhaps because such supports served as rests in choir stalls, etc.; cf. misericord
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for console

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • To the extent of his means he would do what money could to console her!

    Weighed and Wanting

    George MacDonald

  • But if he loved her he would have mentioned her with affection, if only to console her in her widowhood.

  • We may at least console ourselves with the reflexion that such a contingency is far off.

    The Roof of France

    Matilda Betham-Edwards

  • Console yourself, dear mother, circumstances require that you should.

  • "There's a good view from the window," he said to console her for his depreciation of the picture.

    The Foolish Lovers

    St. John G. Ervine

British Dictionary definitions for console

console1

verb
  1. to serve as a source of comfort to (someone) in disappointment, loss, sadness, etc
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Derived Formsconsolable, adjectiveconsoler, nounconsolingly, adverb

Word Origin

C17: from Latin consōlārī, from sōlārī to comfort; see solace

console2

noun
  1. an ornamental bracket, esp one used to support a wall fixture, bust, etc
  2. the part of an organ comprising the manuals, pedals, stops, etc
  3. a unit on which the controls of an electronic system are mounted
  4. same as games console
  5. a cabinet for a television, gramophone, etc, designed to stand on the floor
  6. See console table
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Word Origin

C18: from French, shortened from Old French consolateur one that provides support, hence, supporting bracket, from Latin consōlātor a comforter; see console 1
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

Word Origin and History for console

v.

1690s, from French consoler "to comfort, console," from Latin consolari "offer solace, encourage, comfort, cheer," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + solari "to comfort" (see solace). Or perhaps a back-formation from consolation. The Latin word is glossed in Old English by frefran. Related: Consoled; consoling.

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n.

1706, "a cabinet; an ornamental base structure," from French console "a bracket" (16c.), of uncertain origin, possibly from Middle French consolateur, literally "one who consoles," word used for carved human figures supporting cornices, shelves or rails in choir stalls. Another guess connects it to Latin consolidare. Sense evolved to "body of a musical organ" (1881), "radio cabinet" (1925), then "cabinet for a TV, stereo, etc." (1944).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper