Conseil

Conseil is a French noun with two principal meanings that can overlap in everyday use. It can denote a piece of advice or guidance given to someone (un conseil; des conseils). It can also refer to a formal body that deliberates or makes decisions on behalf of a group, such as a municipality, a company, or a state (un conseil; des conseils). Common examples include le conseil municipal, le conseil d’administration et le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies.

The word derives from the Latin consilium, through Old French, and historically carried senses of deliberation, purpose and plan. In modern French, conseil covers both the act of advising and the institution or assembly that exercises authority or coordination.

In usage, the two meanings are distinguished by context. To give or seek guidance is expressed with vendre or recevoir des conseils, and phrases such as prendre conseil auprès de quelqu’un are common. For formal bodies, conseil names populations of decision-makers: un conseil régional, un conseil municipal, un conseil d’administration, or le Conseil des ministres, depending on the country and domain. The international version includes des conseils, most famously le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies.

The term is closely related to related forms: conseiller (to advise; a male adviser), conseillère (female adviser), and the plural conseils for multiple pieces of advice or multiple councils. In translation, conseil often corresponds to English council (deliberative body) or counsel/advice (guidance), with the appropriate sense dictated by context.