consulere

Consulere is a Latin verb of the third conjugation meaning to consult or take counsel with others, to deliberate or plan, and more broadly to attend to or be mindful of something. Its core senses include seeking advice or information, consulting authorities or texts, and acting with consideration for a person or matter. The verb underlies English words such as consult, consultation, and consultant, and it is related to the noun consilium (counsel, plan) as well as to the concept of the office of consul, which historically involved providing or seeking counsel.

The standard principal parts are consulō, consulere, consului, consultum. The infinitive form is present active; the supine is consultum, used in certain constructions, and the perfect active participle is consultus. In usage, consulere governs a variety of objects and arguments. It can take a direct object to denote consulting a source or authority (consulere libris, “to consult books”) or a person to denote seeking someone’s advice (consulere tibi, “to consult you”). It can also take the dative of the person or thing concerned, as in consūlere rei publicae, “to take care of the state” or to be mindful of its interests. In secondary uses, it conveys attending to or looking after a matter, sometimes with a sense akin to “take care of” or “be mindful of.”

In English, derivatives include consult, consultation, consultant, consultative, and related forms. The term appears frequently in classical Latin literature and in discussions of Roman politics and law, where the act of consulting—whether for information, advice, or public welfare—was a central administrative activity.