consent
Definitions
Permission or agreement for something to happen
同意，许可
To give permission or agree to do something
同意，准许
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedcon- (together) + sent (feel, from sentīre) = 'to feel together.' When you consent, your feeling lines up with someone else's wish — you agree because you now feel the same way about it. The same 'feeling together' gives consensus. Consent is the personal version (one person says yes); consensus is the group version (everyone's feelings converge).
Root sent still carries 33 more wordsWhy It Means This
Consent isn't just saying yes — etymologically it's feeling-with. That nuance survives in modern usage: legal and medical consent means a person has genuinely understood and willingly aligned their will with the action (informed consent), not merely signed a form. The 'feeling together' core is why consent must be freely given to count at all.
Usage Guide
- Legal / medical (formal): informed consent, age of consent, consent form — the dominant register; consent here is a formal, recorded agreement
- Grammar: as a verb, consent takes to — consent to a plan, consent to do something (never 'consent a plan')
- Tone: consent is more formal and deliberate than say yes or agree; it carries a sense of granting permission from a position of authority or right
Example Sentences
- 1.
You need written consent from a parent before the trip.
- 2.
She refused to consent to the new terms of the contract.
- 3.
The patient gave informed consent before the operation.
- 4.
Silence does not always mean consent.
Easily Confused
consent vs assent vs agree — consent is granting permission, often from authority or right (consent to surgery). assent is formal acceptance of a proposal or idea, more about approval than permission (the board's assent). agree is the everyday, broadest word — you agree with a person, agree to a plan, agree that something is true. Use consent when permission is being given; use agree for ordinary accord.