Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To give assent, as to the proposal of another; agree: synonym: assent.
  • intransitive verb Archaic To be of the same mind or opinion.
  • noun Acceptance or approval of what is planned or done by another; acquiescence. synonym: permission.
  • noun Agreement as to opinion or a course of action.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Voluntary allowance or acceptance of what is done or proposed to be done by another; a yielding of the mind or will to that which is proposed; acquiescence; concurrence; compliance; permission.
  • noun In law, intelligent concurrence in the adoption of a contract or an agreement of such a nature as to bind the party consenting; agreement upon the same thing in the same sense.
  • noun Agreement in opinion or sentiment; unity of opinion or inclination.
  • noun A preconcerted design; concert.
  • noun Agreement; correspondence in parts, qualities, or operation; harmony; concord.
  • noun In pathology, an agreement or sympathy, by which one affected part of the system affects some distant part. See sympathy.
  • noun Synonyms Assent, Consent, Concurrence, etc. See assent.
  • To agree in sentiment; be of the same mind; accord; be at one.
  • To agree; yield credence or accord; give assent, as to a proposition or the terms of an agreement.
  • To yield when one has the right, power, or desire to oppose; accede, as to persuasion or entreaty; aid, or at least voluntarily refrain from opposing, the execution of another person's purpose; comply.
  • Synonyms See list under accede. Permit, Consent to, etc. See allow.
  • To grant; allow; acknowledge; give assent to.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Agreement in opinion or sentiment; the being of one mind; accord.
  • noun Correspondence in parts, qualities, or operations; agreement; harmony; coherence.
  • noun Voluntary accordance with, or concurrence in, what is done or proposed by another; acquiescence; compliance; approval; permission.
  • noun (Law) Capable, deliberate, and voluntary assent or agreement to, or concurrence in, some act or purpose, implying physical and mental power and free action.
  • noun (Physiol.) Sympathy. See Sympathy, 4.
  • noun (Law) an age, fixed by statute and varying in different jurisdictions, at which one is competent to give consent. Sexual intercourse with a female child under the age of consent is punishable as rape.
  • intransitive verb To agree in opinion or sentiment; to be of the same mind; to accord; to concur.
  • intransitive verb To indicate or express a willingness; to yield to guidance, persuasion, or necessity; to give assent or approval; to comply.
  • transitive verb obsolete To grant; to allow; to assent to; to admit.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb intransitive To express willingness, to give permission.
  • verb transitive, medicine To cause to sign a consent form.
  • noun Voluntary agreement or permission

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun permission to do something
  • verb give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English consenten, from Old French consentir, from Latin cōnsentīre : com-, com- + sentīre, to feel; see sent- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Recorded in Middle English since circa 1225, from Old French consentir, from Latin cōnsentīre, present active infinitive of cōnsentiō ("to feel together"), itself from com- ("with") + sentiō ("to feel")

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Examples

Comments

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  • "With commendable thoroughness the Pathology Department at St Margaret's Hospital set out to take a blood specimen from the dog, but unfortunately omitted the simple step of obtaining the animal's consent. In a brief but dramatic encounter only the dog succeeded in drawing blood."

    —Michael Howell and Peter Ford, The Ghost Disease, and Twelve Other Stories of Detective Work in the Medical Field, (New York: Penguin Books, 1985), 96

    September 11, 2008

  • Heehee!

    September 11, 2008