consortium
Americannoun
plural
consortia-
a combination of financial institutions, capitalists, etc., for carrying into effect some financial operation requiring large resources of capital.
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any association, partnership, or union.
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Law. the legal right of partners in a marriage to companionship and conjugal intercourse with each other.
In a wrongful death action the surviving spouse commonly seeks damages for loss of consortium.
noun
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an association of financiers, companies, etc, esp one formed for a particular purpose
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law the right of husband or wife to the company, assistance, and affection of the other
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of consortium
1820–30; < Latin: partnership, equivalent to consort- consort + -ium -ium
Explanation
Consortium is a fancy word for a group you form for an enterprise beyond what any one member could do alone. All the grocery stores in your neighborhood might form a consortium for the promotion of local strawberries. Consortium comes from the verb consort, which means "to accompany or associate." Consortium used to mean "fellowship, participation, society," but these days you're more likely to hear consortium for an association of different institutions like schools or companies than, say, a consortium of philosophical frog lovers. Still, consortiums usually preserve the ideals of fellowship, with every member institution chipping in to reach a common goal.
Vocabulary lists containing consortium
The Boys in the Boat
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 25
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The Gene
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The work is part of the Tara Pacific consortium, which focuses on understanding how oceans are changing due to climate pressures.
From Science Daily • May 8, 2026
TKE, or TK Elevator, split from Germany's Thyssenkrupp to become a standalone company in 2020 and is owned by a consortium including the private equity groups Advent and Cinven.
From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026
The deal involves Kone paying a consortium around 5 billion euros in cash and up to 270 million newly issued Kone shares.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
The ultimate impact of the Emirati decision to leave the group, as well as the expanded consortium including fellow exporters such as Russia, known as OPEC+, may have long-term implications for the global oil market.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026
He was representing a consortium of interests that included Frank Phillips and Skelly—the old adversaries now allies.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
