What does consultor mean?
A consultor is a person who is called upon for advice or expert judgment, though the word today survives chiefly in formal and institutional settings. Its most prominent modern use is within the Roman Catholic Church, where a consultor is a formally appointed advisor — for example, a member of a diocese's college of consultors, which must be consulted on significant financial and administrative matters, or an expert named as a consultor to a Vatican congregation or dicastery. In secular English, the term appears far less often than its everyday cousin 'consultant'; where a consultant is typically a paid professional engaged commercially, a consultor suggests a more formal, deliberative, or official role. Derived from the Latin consultor, meaning 'one who consults', the word carries connotations of gravity, counsel, and institutional trust. For readers of legal, historical, or religious texts, recognising it can clarify precisely who holds advisory standing — and when their consent is required.
nounA person who is consulted for advice or expertise; especially, in the Roman Catholic Church, a member of a body of advisors appointed to assist a bishop or other church authority in diocesan administration.
- A person whose opinion or advice is sought; one consulted.
- A formal advisor within the Roman Catholic Church, particularly a member of a diocesan college of consultors or a consultor to a Vatican congregation.
"The bishop appointed three experienced canon lawyers as consultors to advise on the sale of diocesan property."
"Before finalising the budget, the finance minister called in her most trusted consultor."
"As a consultor to the Dicastery for Divine Worship, he helped review proposed liturgical translations."
Regular plural; standard in both British and American English, and the normal form in canon-law texts referring to members of a college of consultors.
"The diocesan statute requires that all major property transactions receive the consent of a majority of the consultors."
In Catholic canon law, every major diocesan decision rests on the shoulders of a small council of priests called consultors — the Church's built-in board of directors.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of consultor
Consultor comes directly from Latin consultor ('one who consults or gives counsel'), a derivative of the verb consulere, meaning to deliberate, take counsel, or look after. The same Latin root gave English both 'consult' and 'consul' — the latter originally a Roman magistrate, so named for his role in deliberating for the state. The word entered English through learned and legal use, and its enduring stronghold remains canon law, where Latin terminology was preserved longest.
How consultor is actually used
Outside ecclesiastical contexts, the term is rare and somewhat formal or archaic; 'consultant' is the everyday word for a professional advisor. In Catholic usage, 'consultor' carries a precise canonical meaning and is not interchangeable with ordinary advisory roles. The plural is 'consultors'.
Easily confused with consultor
A consul is a government official stationed abroad to protect citizens' and state interests, whereas a consultor is an advisor, most often in church or professional contexts.
A consultant is typically a paid professional advisor engaged on a commercial basis, while consultor is a more formal or technical term, especially denoting an ecclesiastical advisor.