counsel

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counsel

consultation; a lawyer; advice; guidance: She sought counsel for the proposed adoption.

Not to be confused with:

consul – a diplomat residing in a foreign country: the American consul in France

council – a gathering of people for consultation: The matter was brought before the council for an opinion.

coun·sel

(koun′səl)

1. The act of exchanging opinions and ideas; consultation: joined in counsel with colleagues before deciding the issue.

2. Advice or guidance, especially as solicited from a knowledgeable person. See Synonyms at advice.

3. Private, guarded thoughts or opinions: keep one's own counsel.

4. A lawyer or group of lawyers giving legal advice and especially conducting a case in court.

v. coun·seled, coun·sel·ing, coun·sels or coun·selled or coun·sel·ling

v.tr.

1. To give counsel to; advise: counseled us to be prudent.

2. To recommend: counseled care in the forthcoming negotiations.

v.intr.

To give or take advice. See Usage Note at council.

[Middle English counseil, from Old French conseil, from Latin cōnsilium; akin to cōnsulere, to take counsel, consult.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

counsel

(ˈkaʊnsəl)

1. advice or guidance on conduct, behaviour, etc

2. discussion, esp on future procedure; consultation: to take counsel with a friend.

3. a person whose advice or guidance is or has been sought

4. (Law) a barrister or group of barristers engaged in conducting cases in court and advising on legal matters: counsel for the prosecution.

5. a policy or plan

6. (Ecclesiastical Terms) Christianity any of the counsels of perfection or evangelical counsels, namely poverty, chastity, and obedience

7. counsel of perfection excellent but unrealizable advice

8. private opinions or plans (esp in the phrase keep one's own counsel)

9. archaic wisdom; prudence

vb, -sels, -selling or -selled, -sels, -seling or -seled

10. (tr) to give advice or guidance to

11. (tr; often takes a clause as object) to recommend the acceptance of (a plan, idea, etc); urge

12. (intr) archaic to take counsel; consult

[C13: from Old French counseil, from Latin consilium deliberating body; related to consul, consult]

ˈcounsellable, ˈcounselable adj

Usage: Avoid confusion with council

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

coun•sel

(ˈkaʊn səl)

n., pl. -sel for 3, n.

1. advice; opinion or instruction regarding the judgment or conduct of another.

2. interchange of opinions as to future procedure; consultation; deliberation.

3. (used with a sing. or pl. v.) the lawyer or lawyers representing one party or the other in court.

4. deliberate purpose; plan; design.

5. Archaic. a private or secret opinion or purpose.

6. Obs. wisdom; prudence.

v.t.

7. to give advice to; advise.

8. to urge the adoption of, as a course of action; recommend.

v.i.

9. to give counsel or advice.

10. to get or take counsel or advice.

Idioms:

keep one's own counsel, to remain silent.

[1175–1225; (n.) Middle English counseil < Anglo-French cunseil, Old French conseil < Latin consilium debate, advice, advisory body, plan]

syn: See advice.

usage: See council.

Counsel

a body of legal advisors, 1393.

council

– counsel

1. 'council'

Council /'kaʊnsəl/ is a noun. A council is a group of people who run a local area such as a town, city, or county.

...Wiltshire County Council.

Some other groups of people who run organizations are also called Councils.

...the Arts Council.

...the British Council of Churches.

2. 'counsel'

Counsel /'kaʊnsəl/ is usually a verb. If you counsel someone, you give them advice about their problems.

Part of her work is to counsel families when problems arise.

Someone's counsel is the lawyer who gives them advice on a legal case and speaks on their behalf in court.

Singleton's counsel said after the trial that he would appeal.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

counsel

Past participle: counselled
Gerund: counselling

Imperative
counsel
counsel

Present
I counsel
you counsel
he/she/it counsels
we counsel
you counsel
they counsel

Preterite
I counselled
you counselled
he/she/it counselled
we counselled
you counselled
they counselled

Present Continuous
I am counselling
you are counselling
he/she/it is counselling
we are counselling
you are counselling
they are counselling

Present Perfect
I have counselled
you have counselled
he/she/it has counselled
we have counselled
you have counselled
they have counselled

Past Continuous
I was counselling
you were counselling
he/she/it was counselling
we were counselling
you were counselling
they were counselling

Past Perfect
I had counselled
you had counselled
he/she/it had counselled
we had counselled
you had counselled
they had counselled

Future
I will counsel
you will counsel
he/she/it will counsel
we will counsel
you will counsel
they will counsel

Future Perfect
I will have counselled
you will have counselled
he/she/it will have counselled
we will have counselled
you will have counselled
they will have counselled

Future Continuous
I will be counselling
you will be counselling
he/she/it will be counselling
we will be counselling
you will be counselling
they will be counselling

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been counselling
you have been counselling
he/she/it has been counselling
we have been counselling
you have been counselling
they have been counselling

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been counselling
you will have been counselling
he/she/it will have been counselling
we will have been counselling
you will have been counselling
they will have been counselling

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been counselling
you had been counselling
he/she/it had been counselling
we had been counselling
you had been counselling
they had been counselling

Conditional
I would counsel
you would counsel
he/she/it would counsel
we would counsel
you would counsel
they would counsel

Past Conditional
I would have counselled
you would have counselled
he/she/it would have counselled
we would have counselled
you would have counselled
they would have counselled

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

counsel

A lawyer or team of lawyers conducting a case in court or giving legal advice.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	counsel - a lawyer who pleads cases in court counselor-at-law, pleader, advocate, counsellor, counselor law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" attorney, lawyer - a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
	2.	counsel - something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action counseling, counselling, guidance, direction road map, guideline - a detailed plan or explanation to guide you in setting standards or determining a course of action; "the president said he had a road map for normalizing relations with Vietnam" subject matter, content, message, substance - what a communication that is about something is about career counseling - counseling on career opportunities cynosure - something that provides guidance (as Polaris guides mariners); "let faith be your cynosure to walk by" genetic counseling - guidance for prospective parents on the likelihood of genetic disorders in their future children marriage counseling - counseling on marital problems and disagreements confidential information, steer, tip, wind, hint, lead - an indication of potential opportunity; "he got a tip on the stock market"; "a good lead for a job"
Verb	1.	counsel - give advice to; "The teacher counsels troubled students"; "The lawyer counselled me when I was accused of tax fraud" advise, rede urge, urge on, exhort, press - force or impel in an indicated direction; "I urged him to finish his studies" dissuade, deter - turn away from by persuasion; "Negative campaigning will only dissuade people" hash out, talk over, discuss - speak with others about (something); talk (something) over in detail; have a discussion; "We discussed our household budget" admonish, monish, warn, discourage - admonish or counsel in terms of someone's behavior; "I warned him not to go too far"; "I warn you against false assumptions"; "She warned him to be quiet" tip off, tip - give insider information or advise to; "He tipped off the police about the terrorist plot" misadvise, misguide - give bad advice to propound - put forward, as of an idea consult - advise professionally; "The professor consults for industry" contraindicate - make a treatment inadvisable

counsel

noun

1. advice, information, warning, direction, suggestion, recommendation, caution, guidance, admonition He had always been able to count on her wise counsel.

2. legal adviser, lawyer, attorney, solicitor, advocate, barrister The defence counsel warned that the judge should stop the trial.

verb

1. advise, recommend, advocate, prescribe, warn, urge, caution, instruct, exhort, admonish My advisors counselled me to do nothing.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

counsel

noun

1. An exchange of views in an attempt to reach a decision:

conference, consultation, deliberation, parley.

2. An opinion as to a decision or course of action:

advice, recommendation.

3. A person who practices law:

attorney, counselor, lawyer.

Slang: ambulance chaser.

Chiefly British: barrister.

4. Law. One who advises another, especially officially or professionally:

adviser, consultant, counselor, mentor.

verb

To give recommendations to (someone) about a decision or course of action:

advise, recommend.

Informal: mentor.

Translations

مُستشار قانوني، مُحامِنَصيحَـهيَنْصَحَ، يُشير على

právní zástupceradaradit

advokatjuridisk rådgiverrådråderådgive

Anwalt Rat raten Ratschlag

συμβουλεύω συμβουλή

aconsejar consejo asesorar abogado

conseil conseiller conseiller de défenseur avis

gefa/veita ráî, ráîleggjalögmaîur, málflutningsmaîurráîgjöf

consigliare consiglio consulente legale parere

rekomenduoti

advokātsdot padomuieteikt

gi råd sakfører tilråde tilråding

právny zástupca

akıl öğretmekdava vekilifikir tavsiyetavsiye etmek

劝告建议忠告辩护律师

counsel

[ˈkaʊnsəl]

A. N

1. (frm, liter) (= advice) → consejo m
to hold/take counsel (with sb) about sth → consultar or pedir consejo (a algn) sobre algo
to keep one's own counsel → guardar silencio
a counsel of perfection → un ideal imposible

2. (Jur) (pl inv) → abogado/a m/f
counsel for the defence (Brit) → abogado/a m/f defensor(a)
counsel for the prosecution (Brit) → fiscal mf
Queen's or King's Counsel (Brit) → abogado/a m/f del Estado

B. VT [+ person] (frm) → aconsejar (Med etc) → orientar; [+ prudence etc] → recomendar
to counsel sb to do sth → aconsejar a algn que haga algo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

counsel

[ˈkaʊns^əl]

(= advice) → conseil m

(= lawyer) → avocat(e) m/f
counsel for the defence → avocat(e) m/f de la défense
counsel for the prosecution → procureur mf

to keep one's own counsel (= remain silent) → garder ses opinions pour soi

(= give advice to) [+ person] → conseiller
to counsel sb to do sth → conseiller à qn de faire qch

(= recommend) to counsel sth → conseiller qch

vi
to counsel against sth → déconseiller qch

counsel

(form: = advice) → Rat(schlag) m; to hold counsel with somebody over or about something → mit jdm etw beraten or beratschlagen; to keep one’s own counsel → seine Meinung für sich behalten, mit seiner Meinung zurückhalten; counsels of perfection → schlaue Ratschläge

pl <-> (Jur) → Rechtsanwalt m; counsel for the defence/prosecution → Verteidiger(in) m(f) → /Vertreter(in) m(f) → der Anklage, ˜ Staatsanwalt m → /-anwältin f; counsel on both sides → Verteidigung und Anklage

(form) person → beraten; course of action → empfehlen, raten zu; to counsel somebody to do something → jdm raten or empfehlen, etw zu tun

(in social work etc) → beraten

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

counsel

[ˈkaʊns/əl]

1. n

a. (advice) → consiglio, consultazione f
to keep one's own counsel → tenere le proprie opinioni per sé

b. pl inv (Law) → avvocato/essa
counsel for the defence/the prosecution → avvocato difensore/di parte civile
Queen's (or King's) Counsel → avvocato della Corona

2. vt to counsel sth/sb to do sth → consigliare qc/a qn di fare qc; (caution) → raccomandare qc/a qn di fare qc

counsel

(ˈkaunsəl) noun

1. advice. He'll give you good counsel on your problems.

2. a barrister or advocate. counsel for the defence.

verb – past tense, past participle ˈcounselled , (American) ˈcounseled –

to advise; to recommend.

ˈcounsellor , (American) counselor noun

a person who gives advice.

References in classic literature ?

A prince, therefore, ought always to take counsel, but only when he wishes and not when others wish; he ought rather to discourage every one from offering advice unless he asks it; but, however, he ought to be a constant inquirer, and afterwards a patient listener concerning the things of which he inquired; also, on learning that nay one, on any consideration, has not told him the truth, he should let his anger be felt.

View in context

Then the fox said, 'Do not shoot me, for I will give you good counsel; I know what your business is, and that you want to find the golden bird.

View in context

AN Assassin being put upon trial in a New England court, his Counsel rose and said: "Your Honour, I move for a discharge on the ground of 'once in jeopardy': my client has been already tried for that murder and acquitted."

View in context

After some further ques- tioning, counsel for the prosecution said:

View in context

The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it, will conquer: let such a one be retained in command!

View in context

The weeks dragged along, no friend visiting the jailed twins but their counsel and Aunt Patsy Cooper, and the day of trial came at last--the heaviest day in Wilson's life; for with all his tireless diligence he had discovered no sign or trace of the missing confederate.

View in context

Who happen to be in the Lord Chancellor's court this murky afternoon besides the Lord Chancellor, the counsel in the cause, two or three counsel who are never in any cause, and the well of solicitors before mentioned?

View in context

Therefore it is ill in counsel, good in execution; so that the right use of bold persons is, that they never command in chief, but be seconds, and under the direction of others.

View in context

LORD NOBLEKIRK, } THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mintlaw), } DONALD DREW, Esquire (Advocate-Depute).} Counsel for the Crown.

View in context

I have others here who will do me honour, and above all Jove, the lord of counsel. There is no king here so hateful to me as you are, for you are ever quarrelsome and ill- affected.

View in context

Pickwick by the coat sleeve, the little man led him to the low seat just beneath the desks of the King's Counsel, which is constructed for the convenience of attorneys, who from that spot can whisper into the ear of the leading counsel in the case, any instructions that may be necessary during the progress of the trial.

View in context

"The last counsel I will give thee now, though it does not tend to bodily improvement, I would have thee carry carefully in thy memory, for I believe it will be no less useful to thee than those I have given thee already, and it is this- never engage in a dispute about families, at least in the way of comparing them one with another; for necessarily one of those compared will be better than the other, and thou wilt be hated by the one thou hast disparaged, and get nothing in any shape from the one thou hast exalted.