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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Boeing must sell all of the parts of Spirit that supply European aircraft consortium Airbus. Matthew J. Belvedere,paulina Likos, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025 The company gathered some partners into a consortium, including Chinese operators heavily involved in their country’s Belt and Road infrastructure scheme. Samanth Subramanian, The Dial, 14 Oct. 2025 Last year, landmines killed or wounded more than 5,700 people, the vast majority of whom were civilians, according to the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, an annual report published by a consortium of non-profit groups. NPR, 13 Oct. 2025 Ultimately, the cotton consortium sees the paper functioning as a platform and calls for collaborative action—not an endpoint. Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 13 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for consortium

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Consortium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consortium. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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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