consortium

noun

con·​sor·​tium kən-ˈsȯr-sh(ē-)əm How to pronounce consortium (audio)
-ˈsȯr-tē-əm
plural consortia kən-ˈsȯr-sh(ē-)ə How to pronounce consortium (audio)
-ˈsȯr-tē-ə
also consortiums
1
: an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member
A consortium of researchers decoded the honeybee genome.
2
3
: the legal right of one spouse to the company, affection, and assistance of and to sexual relations with the other

Examples of consortium in a Sentence

A Japanese consortium invested millions in the technology. a consortium for the prevention of animal cruelty
Recent Examples on the Web The earnings release arrived as Believe is the subject of a bid to be taken private by a consortium led by CEO Denis Ladegaillerie and investment firms EQT X and TCV. Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024 The media consortium also collected and analyzed 3 million Telegram messages. Chris Dehghanpoor, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 This reporting consortium has obtained and analyzed more than 3 million messages from more than 50 chat groups on Discord and Telegram. Ali Winston, WIRED, 13 Mar. 2024 The lawsuit referenced wrongful death, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, loss of consortium and violation of Smith’s 14th Amendment rights. Olivia Lloyd, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 That public transportation system was taken from us by a consortium of businesses and political entities that benefited from car travel. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 14 Feb. 2024 However, while military risk withers away, ExxonMobil, the consortium’s majority shareholder, is trying to stop the takeover of Hess’s 30% share. Elias Ferrer, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Bain Capital and Hellman & Friedman teamed up to buy athenahealth for $17 billion, while a PE consortium, including Advent and Permira, scooped up McAfee for $15.4 billion. Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 Some of the reporting for this story was supported by the Reckoning Project, a consortium of Ukrainian and international journalists and researchers who record and verify witness testimonies of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Sabra Ayres, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'consortium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin, fellowship, from consort-, consors — see consort entry 1

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of consortium was in 1829

Dictionary Entries Near consortium

Cite this Entry

“Consortium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consortium. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

consortium

noun
con·​sor·​tium kən-ˈsȯr-shəm; -shē-əm How to pronounce consortium (audio)
plural consortia -shə, -shē-ə How to pronounce consortium (audio) also consortiums
1
: an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member
2
[Medieval Latin, marital partnership, from Latin] : the right of one spouse to the company, affection, and assistance of and to sexual relations with the other
also : the right of a parent or child to the company, affection, and assistance of the other
suing for loss of consortium
compare society
Etymology

Latin, sharing, partnership, from consort-, consors sharer, partner

More from Merriam-Webster on consortium

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