Consensus

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kənˈsɛnsəs/

Definitions

1. General agreement among a group of people about a particular matter or decision
2. An agreement reached by a group that reflects a general harmony in opinions regarding a specific issue or decision
3. A collective agreement that emerges from a group's shared views on a particular issue or decision

Etymology: Latin "consentire" meant "feel together," and the noun "consensus" grew from it as a word for shared feeling and accord. The Latin "con-" means "together" and "sentire" means "to feel" or "to perceive," so the root idea is of many minds sensing the same thing at once. That physical image of feeling in unison is still present in the English word's sense of a group arriving at one view. English borrowed "consensus" directly from Latin, keeping its original sense of agreement or unanimity. It is closely related to "consent," which passed into English through Old French from the same Latin verb, so the two words are cousins that took different routes into the language. Where "consent" tends to describe one person's permission, "consensus" describes a whole group reaching the same conclusion.

Synonyms: agreement, accord, concurrence

Antonyms: disagreement, discord