What does console mean?
The word console serves two quite different roles in English. As a verb, it means to offer comfort or sympathy to someone experiencing sorrow or disappointment, as when friends console a person after a bereavement; it conveys warmth and gentle support rather than dramatic intervention. As a noun, it has several concrete meanings united by the idea of a self-contained unit: the panel of buttons and displays that controls a machine or instrument, such as an aircraft's cockpit console or a recording studio's mixing console; a dedicated electronic device for playing video games, often called simply a games console; and a narrow, leg-supported table placed against a wall, known as a console table. The pronunciation shifts with the part of speech — CON-sole for the noun, con-SOLE for the verb. Derived forms include consolation, consolatory, and disconsolate, all tracing back to Latin consolari, 'to comfort', which itself contains solari, 'to soothe' — the same root that gives us solace.
A panel or unit containing the controls and instruments for operating a machine, system, or vehicle; especially in modern usage, an electronic device for playing video games.
"The pilot checked every gauge on the console before takeoff."
In British English, 'games console' is common; American speakers often shorten this to simply 'console'. In furniture, 'console' usually appears as 'console table'.
A small table with a flat top supported by ornamental legs or brackets, designed to stand against a wall.
"She displayed a vase of fresh flowers on the marble console in the hallway."
To provide comfort or sympathy to someone who is suffering from sadness, grief, or disappointment.
"He tried to console his brother with quiet words and a steady presence."
Applies to all noun senses: gaming devices, control panels, and console tables.
"The store sold out of its consoles within hours of the launch."
The word you use to comfort a grieving friend and the word for your video game box come from the same Latin root meaning 'to make whole together'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of console
Both the noun and the verb descend from the same source: Latin consolari, 'to comfort or cheer', formed from com- ('together') plus solari ('to soothe'), the root of English solace. The verb entered English via Old French consoler in the late Middle Ages, while the noun developed later through French console, originally referring to a bracket supporting a structure and then extended to control panels and furniture. Related English words include consolation, consolatory, and disconsolate, all sharing the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How console is actually used
As a noun, stress falls on the first syllable (CON-sole); as a verb, on the second (con-SOLE). The noun covers several distinct domains — electronics, computing, music production, motoring, and furniture — so context usually makes the intended sense obvious. The verb carries a warm, empathetic tone and appears frequently in both everyday speech and formal writing about grief or loss.
Easily confused with console
A consul is a government official stationed abroad to look after their country's citizens and commercial interests, whereas a console is a control panel, gaming device, or piece of furniture.