Consent and Consensual

[dr_mabeuse]

Here's my beef: the noun is "consent" but the dictionaries say that the adjective form isn't "consentual", it's "consensual". "Consentual" isn't even in the dictionary.

So it's not the end of the world, but it is another little bit of English that doesn't make sense. "Consensual" seems like it should mean something that two people sense at the same time, not something done with consent.

I look for parallels and don't see any. "Concept" but "conceptual", not "concepsual". "Percept" but "perceptual", not "percepsual". "Dissent" but "dissenting" (Okay, forget that one.)

What's going on?

---dr.M.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Consent n.:

[ME. consente, a. OF. consente, f. consentir to CONSENT: cf. ASSENT n. Owing to the frequent ME. confusion of s and c (whence our mice, pence, defence, etc.), it was often spelt concent down to 16th c., and was thus liable to confusion with musical CONCENT, when the latter word was introduced. From the approximation of sense, it is in some passages difficult to say which of the two was meant.]

1. Voluntary agreement to or acquiescence in what another proposes or desires; compliance, concurrence, permission.

Consent v.:

[a. OF. cun-, consentir (3rd sing. pres. cunsent, consent) = Pr., Sp. consentir, It. consentire:L. consentre to feel together, agree, accord harmonize, f. con- together + sentre to feel, think, judge, etc. The sense, ‘consent to a thing being done’ was a subsequent development, but occurs in 12th c. in Fr., and is app. the earliest recorded in Eng.: see 6. As to the spelling concent, see CONSENT n.]

I. To agree together.

1. intr. To agree together, or with another, in opinion or statement; to be of the same mind. Obs. or arch. (The statement agreed upon may be introduced by that.)


Consensus n.:

[a. L. consensus agreement, accord, sympathy, common feeling, f. consens- ppl. stem of consentre: see CONSENT. Used in the physiological sense by Bausner, De consensu partium humani corporis, 1556, whence sense 1 in mod.F. and English.]

1. Phys. General agreement or concord of different parts or organs of the body in effecting a given purpose; sympathy. Hence transf. of the members or parts of any system of things.

Consensual a.:

[f. L. consensu-s (see next) + -AL1. In mod. F. consensuel.]

1. Relating to or involving consent. consensual contract (in Rom. Law): a contract which requires only consent of the parties to render it obligatory: so consensual obligation.

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It's all in the etymology, baby. Consensual doesn't come from consent. It comes from consensus.

Muffie kisses the OED.

 

[HawaiiBill]

...and I bet the OED kisses Muffie back!

It's all in the etymology, baby. Consensual doesn't come from consent. It comes from consensus.

Muffie kisses the OED. [/B]

Beautiful.

There are many good things
about living in Hawai`i but the lack of
an available OED out here in the middle
of the Pacific Ocean isn't one of them!

Used to have the OED on a CD-ROM
but that doesn't function with XP and
cost for the new version is great. Hmm.
Just have to write less for Literotica.

 

[KillerMuffin]

http://dictionary.oed.com/

 

[HawaiiBill]

. . . Ah, Muffie, you're Killing me!

http://dictionary.oed.com/

Yes, and thank you for the reminder of their
online service at $29.95 a month. The original
stable of authors of OED's entries are twisting in
their graves, wondering, "Who would have thought
the OED would lack the decency to ask an even
$30?"

For those who also wonder, it's $295 a year.

Also see:
http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/?view=usa&ci=0195218884

This isn't a complaint about anything but my penury,
see, and isn't to be taken as a slam at OED. Never.

 

[Kual_alun]

Pronunciation is also a factor...

The pronunciation of the word also has an impact on the spelling. In your other example of 'concept' and 'conceptual', the hard 't' sound is still inserted into 'conceptual', whereas in 'consensual' it is changed to a soft 's' sound, hence the alteration of 't' to 's' to reflect that change in sound.

 

[akpamela]

If you don't have access to the OED or haven't signed up for the on-line version, you might try:

http://www.etymonline.com/

Its a free site that I use when I'm not at home (my old, heavy, hardbound OED permanently resides there - is a bit cumbersome to be portable).

Nothing can really compare to the OED. The etymonyline.com site is sort of like an abridged pocket version of an etymological dictionary, but is handy when I have a question & need the answer right away. Plus, if the word I'm looking for isn't there, I'm not out much more than a few keystrokes.