What does quorate mean?
Quorate is a formal adjective meaning that a meeting, committee, or other body has enough members present to constitute a quorum and therefore to conduct business validly. The word is especially useful in parliamentary procedure, governance, law, and institutional administration, where the presence or absence of the required number can determine whether a vote or decision has standing. Quorate describes the condition rather than the membership itself: a committee may be quorate because the people attending it constitute the required quorum. In everyday conversation, the term sounds legalistic and is normally replaced by more direct phrases such as “we have a quorum” or “there are enough members present to vote.” Nevertheless, it remains a compact and memorable way to describe one of the basic conditions of legitimate decision-making, distinguishing a merely called meeting from one capable of taking binding action.
adjectiveHaving a quorum; having enough members present for an organization or meeting to transact business.
- Having enough members present to constitute a quorum and permit the transaction of business.
"The committee was quorate, so the chair could proceed with the vote."
"By the time the motion was introduced, the assembly was quorate."
"A quorate committee approved the proposal without objection."
Quorum is the number; quorate is the all-important verdict that the meeting can validly do business.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does quorate come from?
Quorate was formed in English from the Latin-derived noun quorum and the adjectival suffix -ate, meaning “having” or “characterized by” in this formation. Quorum comes from Latin quorūm, “of whom,” and came to mean the majority or required number of members. The English adjective developed in administrative and parliamentary usage during the early nineteenth century.
How quorate is actually used
This is a formal term used especially in parliamentary procedure, law, governance, and institutional administration. It is less common in ordinary conversation, where speakers are more likely to say that a group has a quorum.
Easily confused with quorate
A quorum is the minimum number of members required for business to be valid, whereas a group described as quorate has that number present.