Dictionary.com
definitions

counsel

[koun-suhl]
|||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR counsel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural coun·sel for 3.

verb (used with object), coun·seled, coun·sel·ing or (especially British) coun·selled, coun·sel·ling.

to give advice to; advise.
to urge the adoption of, as a course of action; recommend (a plan, policy, etc.): He counseled patience during the crisis.

verb (used without object), coun·seled, coun·sel·ing or (especially British) coun·selled, coun·sel·ling.

to give counsel or advice.
to get or take counsel or advice.

RELATED CONTENT

What Is the Difference Between Attorney and Lawyer? How About Counsel and Counselor?
Lawyer is a general term for a person who gives legal device and aid and who conducts suits in court. What’s the difference between lawyer and attorney? An attorney or, more correctly, an attorney-at-law, is a member of the legal profession who represents a client in court when pleading or defending a case. In the US, attorney applies to any lawyer. The word attorney comes from French meaning ‘one appointed or constituted’ and the word’s …
READ MORE
please advise
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

prompt, exhort, direct, instruct, caution, enjoin, confab, reprehend, suggest, tip, charge, recommend, advise, urge, advocate, prescribe, warn, admonish, teach, huddle

Idioms

    keep one's own counsel, to conceal one's ideas or opinions; keep silent.
    take counsel, to ask for or exchange advice, ideas, or opinions; deliberate; consult.

Origin of counsel

1175–1225; (noun) Middle English counseil < Anglo-French cunseil, Old French conseil < Latin consilium “debate, advice, advisory body, plan,” equivalent to consil-, variant stem of consulere “to apply for advice” (see consult) + -ium -ium; (verb) < Anglo-French cunseiler (Old French conseillier) < Late Latin consiliāre, derivative of consilium
Related formscoun·sel·a·ble; especially British, coun·sel·la·ble, adjectivepre·coun·sel, noun, verb, pre·coun·seled, pre·coun·sel·ing or (especially British) pre·coun·selled, pre·coun·sel·ling.re·coun·sel, verb (used with object), re·coun·seled, re·coun·sel·ing or (especially British) re·coun·selled, re·coun·sel·ling.un·coun·seled, adjectiveun·coun·selled, adjectivewell-coun·seled, adjectivewell-coun·selled, adjective
Can be confusedconsul council counsel (see usage note at council)

Synonyms for counsel

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR counsel ON THESAURUS.COM
1. recommendation, suggestion. 3. lawyer, attorney; solicitor, barrister.

Synonym study

1. See advice.

Usage note

See council.

counseling

or coun·sel·ling

[koun-suh-ling]

noun Psychology.

professional guidance in resolving personal conflicts and emotional problems.

Origin of counseling

counsel + -ing1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for counselling

Historical Examples of counselling

  • Im not counselling you, laddie, to plunge into a course of sensual debauchery.

    The Rough Road

    William John Locke

  • Carlo spoke a stern word in an undertone; counselling him to be gone.

    Vittoria, Complete

    George Meredith

  • And all the while the Lake Indians of the North were planning and counselling.

    The Conquest

    Eva Emery Dye

  • I am now helping our 200 men off, encouraging and counselling them what I can.

  • Aye, but says Ludovico, you don't know what they are counselling about.

British Dictionary definitions for counselling

counselling

US counseling

noun

guidance offered by social workers, doctors, etc, to help a person resolve social or personal problems

counsel

noun

advice or guidance on conduct, behaviour, etc
discussion, esp on future procedure; consultationto take counsel with a friend
a person whose advice or guidance is or has been sought
a barrister or group of barristers engaged in conducting cases in court and advising on legal matterscounsel for the prosecution
a policy or plan
Christianity any of the counsels of perfection or evangelical counsels, namely poverty, chastity, and obedience
counsel of perfection excellent but unrealizable advice
private opinions or plans (esp in the phrase keep one's own counsel)
archaic wisdom; prudence

verb -sels, -selling or -selled or US -sels, -seling or -seled

(tr) to give advice or guidance to
(tr; often takes a clause as object) to recommend the acceptance of (a plan, idea, etc); urge
(intr) archaic to take counsel; consult
Derived Formscounsellable or US counselable, adjective

Word Origin for counsel

C13: from Old French counseil, from Latin consilium deliberating body; related to consul, consult

confusable

Avoid confusion with council
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 counselling

counsel

n.

early 13c., from Old French counseil (10c.) "advice, counsel; deliberation, thought," from Latin consilium "plan, opinion" (see consultation). As a synonym for "lawyer," first attested late 14c.

counsel

v.

late 13c., from Old French conseiller "to advise, counsel," from Latin consiliari, from consilium "plan, opinion" (see counsel (n.)). Related: Counseled. Counseling "giving professional advice on social or psychological problems" dates from 1940.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with counselling

counsel

see keep one's own counsel.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.