Consuetude, kon′swe-tūd, n. custom: familiarity.—adj. Consuetū′dinary, customary.—n. an unwritten law established by usage, derived by immemorial custom from antiquity: a ritual of customary devotions. [L. consuetudo, custom.]
Consul, kon′sul, n. one of the two chief-magistrates in the Roman republic: one commissioned to reside in a foreign country as an agent for, or representative of, a government.—n. Con′sulage, duty paid to a consul for protection of goods.—adj. Con′sular, pertaining to a consul.—n. a man of consular rank.—ns. Con′sulate, the office, residence, or jurisdiction of a consul; Con′sulship, the office, or term of office, of a consul. [L.]
Consult, kon-sult′, v.t. to ask advice of: to decide or act in favour of: to look up to for information or advice: to discuss: to consider: to take measures for the advantage of any one.—v.i. to consider in company: to take counsel.—n. (kon-sult′, or kon′sult) the act of consulting: a meeting for consultation: a council: a meeting for conspiracy or intrigue.—ns. Consul′ta, a meeting of council; Consultā′tion, deliberation, or a meeting for such, esp. of physicians or lawyers.—adj. Consult′ative, of or pertaining to consultation, esp. of bodies taking part in a consultation without voting on the decision.—ns. Consultee′, the person consulted; Consult′er, one who consults.—adjs. Consult′ing, of a physician or lawyer who gives advice; Consult′ive, pertaining to consultation; Consult′ory, Consult′atory. [L. consult-āre, inten. of consul-ĕre, to consult.]
Consume, kon-sūm′, v.t. to destroy by wasting, fire, evaporation, &c.: to use up: to devour: to waste or spend: to exhaust.—v.i. to waste away.—adj. Consum′able.—adv. Consum′edly, exceedingly—originally a fantastic variant of confoundedly, and prob. influenced in meaning by consummately.—ns. Consum′er, as opposed to producer, he who uses an article produced; Consum′ing, wasting or destroying. [L. consum-ĕre, to destroy—con, sig. completeness, sum-ĕre, sumptum, to take.]
Consummate, kon′sum-āt, or kon-sum′āt, v.t. to raise to the highest point: to perfect or finish: to make marriage legally complete by sexual intercourse.—adj. complete, supreme, perfect of its kind.—adv. Consumm′ately, perfectly.—n. Consummā′tion, act of completing: perfection: conclusion of life or of the universe: the subsequent intercourse which makes a marriage legally valid.—adj. Consumm′ative.—n. Con′summator.—adj. Consumm′atory. [L. consummare, to perfect—con, with, and summus, highest, perfect.]
Consumption, kon-sum′shun, n. the act of using up or consuming—the converse of production—also Consumpt′; pulmonary consumption, a more or less rapidly advancing process of lung destruction, with progressive emaciation—phthisis, tuberculosis.—adj. Consump′tive, wasting away: inclined to the disease consumption.—adv. Consump′tively.—ns. Consump′tiveness, a tendency to consumption; Consumptiv′ity. [See Consume.]
Consute, kon′sūt, adj. (entom.) marked as if with stitches, as the wing-covers of some beetles.—adj. Consū′tile (obs.), stitched together. [L. consuĕre, -sutum, to sew together.]
Contabescent, kon-tab-es′ent, adj. wasting away, atrophied.—n. Contabes′cence. [L. contabescentem—contabescĕre, to waste away.]
Contabulate, kon-tab′ū-lāt, v.t. to floor with boards.—n. Contabulā′tion. [L., con, with, tabula, a board.]
Contact, kon′takt, n. touching or close union: meeting: (math.) coincidence, as of two curves, in two or more successive points.—adj. Contact′ual, pertaining to contact.—Be in contact (with), to be touching anything; Make contact, to complete an electrical current. [L. conting-ĕre, contactum, to touch—con, wholly, tangĕre, to touch.]