quorum

[ kwawr-uh m, kwohr- ]

/ ˈkwɔr əm, ˈkwoʊr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quorum ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the number of members of a group or organization required to be present to transact business legally, usually a majority.

a particularly chosen group.

Nearby words

quondam, quonset hut, quor., quorate, quorn, quorum, quot., quota, quota sampling, quota system, quota-hopping

Origin of quorum

First recorded in 1425–75, quorum is from the Latin word quōrum of whom; from a use of the word in commissions written in Latin specifying a quorum

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quorum

Videos of Quorum: Global LGBT Voices talks and panel discussions will be broadcasted on The Daily Beast in coming months.
A Quorum For Change: The Fight For Global LGBT Equality|Justin Jones|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many agencies, such as the NLRB and the FEC, have multimember boards that require a quorum to operate.
Deregulators Lost at the Supreme Court When It Comes to Blocking Presidential Appointees|Aziz Haq|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When the Democrats saw what was up, a bunch of them took off for Oklahoma, and New Mexico to prevent a quorum vote.
Sending the Hammer to the Slammer|Eric Alterman|November 25, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Speaker, I am paired, but I have voted in order to make a quorum.
The Confessions of a Caricaturist, Vol 2 (of 2)|Harry Furniss

Itaque facillime corriguntur in discendo, quorum vitia imitantur emendandi causa magistri.
De Officiis|Marcus Tullius Cicero
In July following the commandment came forth for me to occupy a place in the quorum of the Twelve.
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volume 3|Joseph Smith
Five were to constitute a quorum of which the president or vice-president or one of the unsalaried members should always be one.
British Committees, Commissions, and Councils of Trade and Plantations, 1622-1675|Charles M. Andrews
A majority of each House shall constitute a quorum to do business.
Charles Sumner; his complete works, volume 9 (of 20)|Charles Sumner

British Dictionary definitions for quorum

quorum

/ (ˈkwɔːrəm) /

noun

a minimum number of members in an assembly, society, board of directors, etc, required to be present before any valid business can be transactedthe quorum is forty; we don't have a quorum

Word Origin for quorum

C15: from Latin, literally: of whom, occurring in Latin commissions in the formula quorum vos…duos (etc) volumus of whom we wish that you be…two

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

Culture definitions for quorum

quorum

[ (kwawr-uhm) ]

The minimum number of members of a committee or legislative body who must be present before business can officially or legally be conducted. In the United States Congress, for example, either house must have a majority (218 in the House of Representatives, 51 in the Senate) to have a quorum.