consorti

Consorti is the plural of consorte, an Italian noun meaning a spouse or partner. In everyday Italian, coniuge is the standard term for a spouse, while consorte tends to be more formal, literary, or historical, and is often used in phrases such as consorte reale, referring to the monarch’s spouse.

The word derives from Latin consors, meaning partner or associate, via Old Italian; the sense of shared fate or common enterprise appears in the root.

In genealogical and historical contexts, consorti denotes the spouses of rulers, nobles, or dynastic families. Records describe marriages as political alliances, dowries, and succession contexts. The plural consorti can appear in descriptions of both male and female spouses.

In modern Italian, consorte is uncommon outside formal or archaic registers; the term consorti is mainly encountered in historical writing, literature, or ceremonial language. The word Consorti also exists as an Italian surname; individuals bearing it are not necessarily related to any particular usage of the term.