consistory

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: con=sis=to=ry

CIDE DICTIONARY

consistory, n. [L. consistorium a place of assembly, the place where the emperor's council met, fr. consistere: cf. F. consistoire, It. consistorio. See Consist.].

•  Primarily, a place of standing or staying together; hence, any solemn assembly or council.  [1913 Webster]

  "To council summons all his mighty peers,
  Within thick clouds and dark tenfold involved,
  A gloomy consistory."  [1913 Webster]
•  The spiritual court of a diocesan bishop held before his chancellor or commissioner in his cathedral church or elsewhere.  Hook.  [1913 Webster]
•  An assembly of prelates; a session of the college of cardinals at Rome.  [1913 Webster]

  "Pius was then hearing of causes in consistory."  [1913 Webster]
•  A church tribunal or governing body.  [1913 Webster]

  " In some churches, as the Dutch Reformed in America, a consistory is composed of the minister and elders of an individual church, corresponding to a Presbyterian church session, and in others, as the Reformed church in France, it is composed of ministers and elders, corresponding to a presbytery. In some Lutheran countries it is a body of clerical and lay officers appointed by the sovereign to superintend ecclesiastical affairs."  [1913 Webster]
•  A civil court of justice.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

consistory, a. 

 Of the nature of, or pertaining to, a consistory.  Strype.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

consistory, n. (pl. -ies)
1 RC Ch. the council of cardinals (with or without the pope).
2 (in full consistory court) (in the Church of England) a court presided over by a bishop, for the administration of ecclesiastical law in a diocese.
3 (in other Churches) a local administrative body.

Derivative

consistorial adj.

Etymology

ME f. AF consistorie, OF -oire f. LL consistorium (as consist)

ROGET THESAURUS

consistory

Council

N council, committee, subcommittee, comitia, court, chamber, cabinet, board, bench, staff, senate, senatus, parliament, chamber of deputies, directory, reichsrath, rigsdag, cortes, storthing, witenagemote, junta, divan, musnud, sanhedrim, classis, Amphictyonic council, duma, house of representatives, legislative assembly, legislative council, riksdag, volksraad, witan, caput, consistory, chapter, syndicate, court of appeal, board of control, board of works, vestry, county council, local board, audience chamber, council chamber, state chamber, cabinet council, privy council, cockpit, convocation, synod, congress, convention, diet, states-general, assembly, caucus, conclave, clique, conventicle, meeting, sitting, seance, conference, convention, exhibition, session, palaver, pourparler, durbar, house, quorum, council fire, powwow, primary, meeting, assemblage, member, senator, member of parliament, M, P, councilor, representative of the people, assemblyman, congressman, councilman, councilwoman, alderman, freeholder, senatorial, curule, congressional, parliamentary, legislative, law-making, regulatory, deliberative.

Churchdom

N church, churchdom, ministry, apostleship, priesthood, prelacy, hierarch, church government, christendom, pale of the church, clericalism, sacerdotalism, episcopalianism, ultramontanism, theocracy, ecclesiology, ecclesiologist, priestcraft, odium theologicum, monachism, monachy, monasticism, monkhood, pontificate, primacy, archbishopric, archiepiscopacy, prelacy, bishopric, bishopdom, episcopate, episcopacy, see, diocese, deanery, stall, canonry, canonicate, prebend, prebendaryship, benefice, incumbency, glebe, advowson, living, cure, rectorship, vicariate, vicarship, deaconry, deaconship, curacy, chaplain, chaplaincy, chaplainship, cardinalate, cardinalship, abbacy, presbytery, holy orders, ordination, institution, consecration, induction, reading in, preferment, translation, presentation, popedom, the Vatican, the apostolic see, religious sects, council, conclave, convocation, synod, consistory, chapter, vestry, sanhedrim, conge d'elire, ecclesiastical courts, consistorial court, court of Arches, ecclesiastical, ecclesiological, clerical, sacerdotal, priestly, prelatical, pastoral, ministerial, capitular, theocratic, hierarchical, archiepiscopal, episcopal, episcopalian, canonical, monastic, monachal, monkish, abbatial, abbatical, Anglican, pontifical, papal, apostolic, Roman, Popish, ultramontane, priest-ridden.