consortium

noun

con·​sor·​tium kən-ˈsȯr-sh(ē-)əm 

-ˈsȯr-tē-əm

plural consortia kən-ˈsȯr-sh(ē-)ə 

-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

: association, society

3

: the legal right of one spouse to the company, affection, and assistance of and to sexual relations with the other

Synonyms of consortium

• organization
• institute
• association
• institution
• society
• chamber
• fraternity
• group
• council
• board

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

In 2025, a consortium of private donors pledged $1 billion toward the FCC’s construction, marking the first time in CERN’s history that private philanthropy has committed to a flagship research project at this scale. — Florencia Canelli, Scientific American, 1 July 2026

To that end, its main group of creditors — a consortium called London & Valley Water (L&VW) — has been negotiating since June last year with Ofwat, the water industry regulator. — Ian King, CNBC, 1 July 2026

The work is part of the SuperC consortium, an international collaboration launched in 2023 with the goal of discovering a room-temperature superconductor by 2033. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2026

In the mid-1990s, the regional telephone monopolies launched rival consortia such as Tele-TV and Americast, hoping to dominate the living room by pairing their massive distribution networks with original Hollywood programming. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 30 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

consortium

noun

con·​sor·​tium kən-ˈsȯr-shəm; -shē-əm 

plural consortia -shə, -shē-ə  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