What does consultory mean?
Consultory is a rare English adjective meaning 'of or pertaining to consultation' — describing a body, role, or voice that exists to offer advice rather than to make binding decisions. A council with a consultory function, for instance, may deliberate and recommend but holds no executive authority. The word derives from the Latin consulere, 'to take counsel', the same root that gives us consult, consultation, and counsel. Although it once circulated alongside its far more successful synonym consultative, consultory has fallen almost entirely out of use and today survives mainly in historical, legal, or ecclesiastical writing. Readers encountering it should understand it simply as an old-fashioned way of saying advisory. Its obscurity makes it more likely to appear in archival documents than in contemporary prose, where consultative has become the unchallenged standard choice.
adjectiveRelating to, involving, or serving the purpose of consultation; advisory in nature.
- Of or relating to consultation; having an advisory or deliberative function (rare, chiefly historical).
"The committee held a purely consultory role, offering opinions that carried no binding force."
"The assembly was granted a consultory voice in matters of church discipline."
"His role on the board remained strictly consultory, with no power to vote."
Before 'consultative' took over the job, English briefly had 'consultory' — a word so rare that most dictionaries now list it only as a historical curiosity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of consultory
Consultory comes from Latin consulere, meaning 'to take counsel, deliberate, or advise', via the verb consult and its derivative forms. It entered English in the early modern period as an adjectival formation parallel to words like 'transitory' and 'advisory'. Its close cousin consultative, formed from the same root, ultimately displaced it in general usage. Cognate forms trace back through Latin to the consul, the Roman magistrate whose title itself derived from consulere.
How consultory is actually used
A rare and largely obsolete word; modern writers overwhelmingly prefer 'consultative'. It may appear in older legal, ecclesiastical, or parliamentary texts describing bodies that advise rather than decide.
Easily confused with consultory
Consultative is the standard, widely used adjective meaning 'for consultation or advice', whereas consultory is a rare, largely obsolete variant with the same sense.
A consultancy is a noun referring to a firm that provides expert professional advice, while consultory is a rare adjective describing something of a consulting character.