console
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console¹
- /ˈkɒn.səʊl/ UK
- [ˈkɒn.sɒʊl] UK
- /ˈkɑn.soʊl/ Atlantic Canada, US
- /ˈkɒn.soʊl/ Boston, Canada, Maine
- /ˈkɔn.səʉl/ Australia
- /ˈkɒn.sɐʉl/ New Zealand
- [ˈkɔ̟n.sɐʉl] New Zealand
- /ˈkɔn.sol/ Scotland
- /ˈkɔn.soːl/ Wales
Where it comes from
Borrowed from French console (“bracket”, noun), from consoler (“to console, to comfort”, verb).
Sense of “bracket” either due to a bracket alleviating the load, or due to brackets being decorated with the Christian figure of a consolateur (“consoler”), itself perhaps a pun on the first sense (alleviating load).
Originally used for the bracket itself, then for wall-mounted tables (mounted with a bracket), then for free-standing tables placed against a wall. Use for control system dates at least to 1880s for an “organ console”; use for electrical or electronic control systems dates at least to 1930s in radio, television, and system control, particularly as “mixer console” or “control console”, attached to an equipment rack. This was popularized in computers by mainframes such as the IBM 704 (1954) in terms such as “operator’s console” or “console typewriter”, and then generalized to any attached equipment, particularly for user interaction. The automotive sense harks back to earlier use as “support”.
noun consoles
- A stand-alone cabinet designed to stand on the floor; especially, one integrated with home entertainment equipment, such as a TV or stereo system. The film's music blared from the console.
- A desk-like cabinet, table, or stand upon which controls, instruments, and displays are mounted.
- An instrument with displays and an input device that is used to monitor and control an electronic system. The operating console of the new Glasgow Central cabin is divided into four sections, each at an angle to each other and each of which is normally under one signalman's control; [...]
- The keyboard and screen of a computer or other electronic device.
- Ellipsis of video game console Consoles continue to gain traction in the video game market.
- A storage tray or container mounted between the seats of an automobile. Could you put my phone in the centre console?
- An ornamental member jutting out of a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, often S-shaped.
- A cantilever.
- A decorative frame or support (in architecture, drawings, etc) around a heraldic shield. On an attractive console with two winged putti as supporters [...] is a marriage coat of arms : Dexter, the Paoli arms : Gules (base), a bend azure charged with five lilies gules, and or (chief); Sinister, the[…]
console²
- /kənˈsəʊl/ UK
- /kənˈsoʊl/ US
Rhymes with -əʊl
Where it comes from
Borrowed from French consoler, from Latin cōnsōlor (“to console, offer solace”), root from Proto-Indo-European *selh₂- (“mercy, comfort”) (whence also solace).
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: console table, cabinet, soothe, solace, comfort, desk, deck, cantilever, ancon, dashboard, consul, pulpit, mainframe, brackets, dashboards, rras
Translations
Every language
noun cabinet with controls, instruments, and displays
| हिन्दी | कंसोल kansol |
|---|---|
| Русский | пульт pulʹt |
| Tiếng Việt | bàn điều khiển, bàn kiểm soát |
noun keyboard and screen
| Português | console, consola |
|---|---|
| Tiếng Việt | bảng điều khiển, bảng kiểm soát |
noun video games: device dedicated to playing video games
| Español | consola |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ゲーム機 geemuki |
| Português | console, consola |
| Français | console, console de jeu |
| Deutsch | Konsole, Spielkonsole |
| Italiano | console, consolle |
| Ελληνικά | παιχνιδοκονσόλα paichnidokonsóla |
| Română | consolă |
| Русский | консо́ль konsólʹ, приста́вка pristávka |
noun automotive: storage tray or container mounted between the seats of an automobile
| Español | consola |
|---|
noun architecture: ornamental member jutting out of a wall
| Português | consola |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Konsole, Kragstein |
| Tiếng Việt | công xon, rầm chìa |
verb to comfort
| Español | consolar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 慰める nagusameru, 労る itawaru |
| 中文 | 安慰 ānwèi, 寬慰 /宽慰 kuānwèi |
| Português | consolar |
| Français | consoler |
| Deutsch | trösten |
| Italiano | consolare, racconsolare |
| Ελληνικά | παρηγορώ parigoró |
| Русский | утеша́ть utešátʹ, уте́шить utéšitʹ, успока́ивать uspokáivatʹ, успоко́ить uspokóitʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | an ủi, giải khuây |
| العربية | وَاسَى wāsā, عَزَّى ʕazzā, سَلَّى sallā |
| עברית | נִחֵם nikhem |
Talk about this word "console." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/console. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. console. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/console "console." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/console.Cite this
@misc{console_2026,
title = {console},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/console},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
