Definitions
01business/project group
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Formal · Academic
n. a group of companies or banks that join together to complete a big project or business deal.
n. an association of several business entities or financial institutions formed to engage in a joint venture or large-scale project.
“A consortium of international banks provided the funding for the new airport.”
“The construction of the transcontinental pipeline was managed by a consortium of three major energy firms and several smaller engineering contractors.”
Usage
Often used with 'of' followed by the members of the group.
Synonyms
02institutional group
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Academic · Formal
n. a group of universities, libraries, or other non-business groups that share information or costs.
n. a collaborative arrangement among non-commercial institutions, such as universities or libraries, to share resources or research.
“The university consortium allows students to borrow books from any member library.”
“A research consortium was established between five European universities to investigate the long-term effects of microplastics in the ocean.”
03legal right
C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Law Formal · Technical
n. the legal right of a husband or wife to have a normal relationship with their partner.
n. the legal right of one spouse to the company, affection, and assistance of the other.
“The lawyer argued that the accident had caused a loss of consortium for the victim's husband.”
“In personal injury litigation, damages may be sought for loss of consortium if the injury severely impairs the marital relationship.”
Usage
Almost exclusively used in the phrase 'loss of consortium'.
04microbial group
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Science Technical · Academic
n. a group of different tiny organisms that live together and help each other.
n. a group of two or more microbial species living in a symbiotic relationship.
“The soil contains a complex consortium of bacteria that helps plants grow.”
“The degradation of the pollutant was achieved by a microbial consortium rather than a single isolated strain.”
Real-World Examples
“Liverpool's owners agree to sell about a third of the club to a consortium including billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos - in a deal that values the Reds at more than £5bn.” “Sainsbury's highlighted recent British Retail Consortium figures showing 1,600 daily incidents of violence and abuse against shopworkers nationwide, up significantly from 455 a day in 2019-20.” “Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, initiated and led talks with FSG on behalf of the 1892 Holdings consortium, a reference to Liverpool’s founding year.” “Andrew Opie, the director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said supermarkets are also importing more food from abroad as UK supplies run short.” Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin cōnsortium.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/consortium
‘외래어’ data: 한국어기초사전 (국립국어원), CC BY-SA 2.0 KR