Tuesday, May 28, 2013

concensus/consensus: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, May 28, 2013

concensus/consensus
You might suppose that this word had to do with taking a census of the participants in a discussion, but it doesn’t. It is a good old Latin word that has to do with arriving at a common sense of the meeting, and the fourth letter is an “S.”

Speaking of a “general consensus” is extremely common, though strictly speaking it’s a redundant expression since a consensus is by definition a general agreement.

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