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conscience: conscience: [13] Latin conscīre meant ‘be mutually aware’. It was a compound verb formed from the prefix com- ‘with, together’ and scīre ‘know’ (source of English science). To ‘know something with oneself’ implied, in a neutral sense, ‘consciousness’, but also a moral awareness, a mental differentiation between right and wrong, and hence the derived noun conscientia carried both these meanings, via Old French, into English (the more general, amoral, ‘consciousness’ died out in the 18th century).

A parallel Latin formation, using *sci-, the base of scīre, was conscius ‘aware’, acquired by English in the 17th century as conscious. Conscientious is also a 17th-century borrowing, ultimately from Latin conscientiōsus.
=> science
consecutive: consecutive: see sequence
consent: consent: [13] The notion underlying ‘giving one’s consent’ is ‘feeling together’ – that is, ‘agreeing’, and hence ‘giving approval or permission’. The word comes from Old French consente, a derivative of the verb consentir. This was a descendant of Latin consentīre ‘agree’, a compound verb formed from the prefix com- ‘together’ and sentīre ‘feel’ (source of English sense, sentence, sentiment, etc). Consensus, originally the past participle of Latin consentīre, was borrowed into English in the 19th century.
=> consensus, sense, sentence, sentiment
consequence: consequence: see sequence
conserve: conserve: [14] Latin servāre meant ‘keep, preserve’ (it was not related to servus ‘slave’, source of English serve and servant). Among the compounds formed from it were praeservāre ‘guard in advance’ and, using the intensive prefix com-, conservāre. This passed into English via Old French conserver. Amongst its derivatives are conservation [14], conservative [14] (first used in the modern political sense by J Wilson Croker in 1830), and conservatory [16] (whose French original, conservatoire, was reborrowed in the 18th century in the sense ‘musical academy’).
=> observe, preserve, reserve
consider: consider: [14] Etymologically, consider means ‘observe the stars’. Amongst the most popular of ancient Roman methods of divination was astrology, and so the Latin verb consīderāre was coined (from the intensive prefix com- and sīdus ‘star’, source of English sidereal) to describe the activity of carefully noting the stars’ courses for the purpose of drawing auguries.

From ‘observing stars’ it soon broadened out in meaning to simply ‘observe’, and hence figuratively ‘think over something’, but the sense ‘have an opinion’ seems to be an English development of the 16th century. English acquired the word via Old French considerer, but borrowed considerable directly from Latin consīderābilis; the modern sense ‘large in amount’ arose in the mid-17th century, on the basis of an earlier ‘worthy of consideration because of great quantity’.
=> desire, sidereal
consign: consign: see sign
consist: consist: [16] Latin consistere meant originally ‘stand still, be firmly in place’. It was a compound verb formed from the intensive prefix com- and sistere ‘place’ (a relative of Latin stāre, which entered into a parallel compound to form constāre ‘stand firm’, source of English constant [14]). The concrete concept of ‘standing firm’ passed into the more abstract ‘exist’, and hence ‘have a particular kind of existence, have particular inherent qualities’. By the time English borrowed the verb it had come to mean ‘be composed of’.
=> constant, constitute
console: console: [14] Console means literally ‘offer solace’. It comes from Latin consōlārī, a compound verb formed from the intensive prefix com- and sōlārī ‘comfort’ (source of the Latin noun sōlātium, from which English gets solace [13]). English acquired it either directly, or via French consoler. The Latin agent noun derived from consōlārī was consōlātor ‘comforter’, which passed into French as consolateur. This came to be used as an architectural term for a carved human figure supporting a cornice, shelf, etc, and was eventually shortened to console; this was borrowed into English in the 18th century.
=> solace
consonant: consonant: [14] Etymologically, consonant means ‘sounding together’. It comes via Old French consonant from Latin consonāns, the present participle of consonāre, a compound verb formed from the prefix com- ‘together’ and sonāre ‘sound’. Its application to particular speech sounds, contrasted with ‘vowels’, comes from the notion that they were ‘pronounced together with’ vowels, rather than independently.
=> sonorous, sound
consort: consort: see sort
conspire: conspire: see spirit
constable: constable: [13] The late Latin comes stabulī was an officer in charge of the stables (comes is the source of the English title count, and stabulum is the ancestor of English stable). From the comparatively lowly status of head groom, the job gradually grew in importance until Old French conestable was used for the principal officer of the household of the early French kings. In the 14th century the title was adopted for the Constable of England. On a less exalted level, the word has also been used since the 14th century for someone appointed to uphold law and order, and was applied to police officers when they were called into being in the 1830s.
=> count, stable
constant: constant: see consist
consternation: consternation: see strata
constipation: constipation: [15] Latin constīpātiō originally meant ‘condition of being closely packed or compressed’. Its English descendant constipation was briefly used in that literal sense in the 17th and 18th centuries, but for the most part it has been a medical term: at first for constriction of some internal organ, blood vessel, etc, and from the mid-16th century for impaired bowel function. The Latin past participle constīpātus passed into Old French as costive, which English acquired, via an unrecorded Anglo-Norman *costif ‘constipated’ [14].
=> costive, stevedore, stiff
constitute: constitute: [15] Etymologically, that which is constituted is that which is ‘caused to stand’ or ‘set up’. The word comes from the past participle of Latin constituere ‘fix, establish’, a compound verb formed from the intensive prefix com- and statuere ‘set up’ (source of English statute). This was a derivative of Latin status (whence English state and status), which itself began life as the past participle of stāre ‘stand’ (a relative of English stand). The derivative constituent [17] comes (partly via French) from the Latin present participle constituēns.
=> stand, statue, status, statute
constrain: constrain: see strain
construct: construct: [17] Construct comes from the present participle of Latin construere ‘pile up together, build’, a compound verb formed from the prefix com- and struere ‘pile up’ (source of English destroy and structure). English acquired the same verb somewhat earlier, in the 14th century, in the form construe.
=> construe, destroy, structure
consult: consult: [17] The -sult element of consult represents a prehistoric Indo-European *sal-, which may be related to Sanskrit sar- ‘go’. It was used with the prefix com- ‘together’ to form the Latin verb consulere ‘discuss, consult’. An altered form developed, consultāre denoting repeated action, and this was the source, via French consulter of the English verb. Related to Latin consulere were the nouns consul, borrowed into English in the 14th century, and consilium, ultimate source of English counsel [13].
=> consul, counsel
consummate: consummate: see sum
consanguine (adj.): c. 1600, from French consanguin (14c.), from Latin consanguineus "of the same blood" (see consanguinity).
consanguineous (adj.): c. 1600, from Latin consanguineus "of the same blood" (see consanguinity).
consanguinity (n.): c. 1400, from Middle French consanguinité, from Latin consanguinitatem (nominative consanguinitas), from consanguineus "consanguineous, of the same blood," from com- "together" (see com-) + sanguineus "of blood" (see sanguine).
conscience (n.): early 13c., from Old French conscience "conscience, innermost thoughts, desires, intentions; feelings" (12c.), from Latin conscientia "knowledge within oneself, sense of right, a moral sense," from conscientem (nominative consciens), present participle of conscire "be (mutually) aware," from com- "with," or "thoroughly" (see com-) + scire "to know" (see science).

Probably a loan-translation of Greek syneidesis, literally "with-knowledge." Sometimes nativized in Old English/Middle English as inwit. Russian also uses a loan-translation, so-vest, "conscience," literally "with-knowledge."
conscient (adj.): c. 1600, "conscious," from Latin conscientem, present participle of conscire "to be conscious" (see conscience). Also with meaning "a conscious being" (c. 1770).
conscientious (adj.): 1610s, from Middle French conscientieux (16c.; Modern French consciencieux), from Medieval Latin conscientiosus, from conscientia (see conscience). Related: Conscientiously; conscientiousness.
conscientious objector (n.): 1896, in reference to those with religious scruples about mandatory vaccination. Military sense predominated from World War I.
After a chequered career full of startling episodes and reversals, the Vaccination Bill becomes virtually the Vaccination Act. In Parliament the hottest of the contest centred round the conscientious objector. [The Lancet, Aug. 13, 1898]
conscionable (adj.): 1540s, from conscioned "having a conscience" (from conscience) + -able; obsolete from early 18c. but fossilized in its negative, unconscionable.
conscious (adj.): c. 1600, "knowing, privy to," from Latin conscius "knowing, aware," from conscire (see conscience); probably a loan-translation of Greek syneidos. A word adopted from the Latin poets and much mocked at first. Sense of "active and awake" is from 1837.
consciousness (n.): 1630s, "internal knowledge," from conscious + -ness. Meaning "state of being aware" is from 1746.
conscript (n.): 1800, perhaps a back-formation (influenced by French adjective conscrit) from conscription.
conscript (v.): 1813, American English, from conscript (n.). A word from the militia drafts in the War of 1812. Popularized (or unpopularized) during U.S. Civil War, when both sides resorted to it in 1862. Related: Conscripted; conscripting.
conscript (adj.): 1530s, from Latin conscriptus, past participle of conscribere "to draw up, list," literally "to write together" (see conscription).
conscription (n.): late 14c., "a putting in writing," from Middle French conscription, from Latin conscriptionem (nominative conscriptio) "a drawing up of a list, enrollment, a levying of soldiers," from conscribere "to enroll," from com- "with" (see com-) + scribere "to write" (see script (n.)).

Meaning "enlistment of soldiers" is from 1520s; the sense "compulsory enlistment for military service" (1800) is traceable to the French Republic act of Sept. 5, 1798. Technically, a conscription is the enrollment of a fixed number by lot, with options of providing a substitute.
consecrate (v.): late 14c., from Latin consecratus, past participle of consecrare "to make holy, devote," from com- "together" (see com-) + sacrare (see sacred). Related: Consecrated; consecrating.
consecration (n.): late 14c., from Latin consecrationem (nominative consecratio), noun of action from consecrat-, past participle stem of consecrare (see consecrate).
consecutive (adj.): 1610s, from French consécutif (16c.), from Medieval Latin consecutivus, from Latin consecutus "following closely," past participle of consequi (see consequence). Related: Consecutively.
consensual (adj.): 1754, "having to do with consent," from stem of Latin consensus (see consensus) + -al (1). Meaning "by consent" is attested from 1800.
consensus (n.): 1854 as a term in physiology; 1861 of persons; from Latin consensus "agreement, accord," past participle of consentire (see consent). There is an isolated instance of the word from 1633.
consent (v.): early 13c., from Old French consentir (12c.) "agree, comply," from Latin consentire "feel together," from com- "with" (see com-) + sentire "to feel" (see sense (n.)). "Feeling together," hence, "agreeing, giving permission," apparently a sense evolution that took place in French before the word reached English. Related: Consented; consenting.
consent (n.): c. 1300, "approval," also "agreement in sentiment, harmony," from Old French consente, from consentir (see consent (v.)). Age of consent is attested from 1809.
consequence (n.): late 14c., "inference, conclusion," from Old French consequence "result" (13c., Modern French conséquence), from Latin consequentia, from consequentem (nominative consequens), present participle of consequi "to follow after," from com- "with" (see com-) + sequi "to follow" (see sequel). Sense of "importance" (c. 1600) is from notion of being "pregnant with consequences."
consequences (n.): see consequence. As the name of a round game, attested from 1796.
consequent (adj.): late 14c., in various senses now restricted to consequence, from Middle French conséquent "following, resulting," from Latin consequentem (nominative consequens); see consequence. Meaning "an event which follows another" is from 1610s. Mathematical sense is from 1560s. Related: Consequently.
consequential (adj.): 1620s, from consequent (Latin consequentia) + -al (1). Meaning "pregnant with consequences, important" is recorded from 1728. Related: Consequentially (c. 1600).
consequentialism (n.): 1969, from consequential + -ism. The philosophy that the morality of an action is to be judged solely by its consequences. Related: Consequentialist.
conservancy (n.): 1755, "commission with jurisdiction over a port or river," from Latin conservant-, present participle stem of conservare (see conserve) + -cy. Earlier was conservacy (mid-15c., Anglo-French conservacie). Meaning "official preservation of undeveloped land" dates from 1859 (first reference is to protection of bo trees in Ceylon).
conservation (n.): late 14c., conservacioun, "preservation of one's health and soundness," from Latin conservationem (nominative conservatio) "a keeping, preserving, conserving," noun of action from past participle stem of conservare (see conserve). Meaning "preservation of existing conditions" in any sense is from mid-15c. Since late 15c., in reference to English municipal authorities who had charge of rivers, sewers, forests, fisheries, etc. Specifically of the environment from 1922.
conservation of energy: apparently coined in French by Leibnitz in 1692; attested in English from early 18c. as conservatio virum vivarum or partially nativized versions of it. The exact phrase is attested from 1853.