console

console¹

—consolable, adj. —consoler, n. —consolingly, adv.

/keuhn sohl"/, v.t., consoled, consoling.

to alleviate or lessen the grief, sorrow, or disappointment of; give solace or comfort: Only his children could console him when his wife died.

[1685-95; ( < F consoler) < L consolari, equiv. to con- CON- + solari to soothe (see SOLACE); perh. akin to OE sael happiness (see SEELY)]

Syn. See comfort¹.

console²

/kon"sohl/, n.

1. a television, phonograph, or radio cabinet designed to stand on the floor rather than on a table or shelf.

2. the control or monitoring unit of a computer, containing the keyboard or keys, switches, etc.

3. a desklike structure containing the keyboards, pedals, etc., by means of which an organ is played.

4. a small cabinet standing on the floor and having doors.

5. See console table.

6. the control unit of a mechanical, electrical, or electronic system: the console that controls a theater's lighting system.

7. Archit. an ornamental corbel or bracket, esp. one high in relation to its projection.

8. Auto. a tray or container typically divided into compartments, mounted between bucket seats, and used for storing small items.

9. Naut. a unit on a vessel containing steering apparatus, systems monitoring equipment, etc.: a bridge console, an engine-room console.

[1700-10; < F; MF consolle bracket or support, appar. shortening of consolateur (attested in MF with same sense) lit., one who consoles ( < LL consolator; see CONSOLE¹, -ATOR), perh. because such supports served as rests in choir stalls, etc.; cf. MISERICORD]

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▪ architecture

      in architecture, type of bracket or corbel, particularly one with a scroll-shaped profile: usually an ogee (S or inverted S curve) or double-ogee terminating in volutes (spirals) above and below. A console projects about one-half its height or less to support a windowhead, cornice, shelf, or sculpture. The difference between a console and other varieties of bracket has more to do with where it is used than its appearance, though in general a cantilever or modillion is supposed to project farther than a console in proportion to its height.

      In Greece, consoles with only slight projection were employed to support door cornices. This sort of console is properly called an ancon, or ancone. The Temple of Concord, Rome (7 BC–AD 10), provides one of the earliest examples of a scrolled console used to support a cornice.

▪ furniture

      in furniture, a type of side table placed against a wall and normally fixed to it, requiring legs or other decorative support only at the front. Because it was viewed only from the front or sides, the back was left undecorated; the top was often of marble. In 17th-century Italy the console table was a major manifestation of the fashion of furniture made for display. Many examples of this period were carved and were, in fact, pieces of sculpture as much as furniture. An opulent group of consoles was made in 1675–78 for the Palazzo Colonna in Rome; supports for the tops were commonly carved as human figures, eagles, tumbling putti (cupids), flamboyant foliage, and dolphins, and they often were gilded.

      The French continued the fashion for grand consoles during the reign of Louis XIV (Louis XIV style), reducing the front support to a pair of inward-curving legs joined by a stretcher. Many of these consoles were made in pairs and were designed to be topped by matching mirrors. They were one of the most successful expressions of the Rococo style, which, after developing in France, became popular in England and other parts of Europe. During the classical revival in the last quarter of the 18th century, mahogany and satinwood consoles with decoration painted in pale colours were introduced in England.

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