Consultants are notorious abusers of words, constantly verbing nouns, nouning verbs, gluing together superficial chunks of words into ugly-sounding lumps with confused meaning, mystifying the obvious. I hope the following etymologies somehow make it all worse by showing how the disgusting word-abuse at the heart of consulting goes back to the dawn of language.

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Practice – Late Middle English : the verb from Old French practiser or medieval Latin practizare, alteration of practicare ‘perform, carry out,’ from practica ‘practice,’ from Greek praktike, feminine (used as a noun) of praktikos (see practical ); the noun from the verb in the earlier spelling practise, on the pattern of pairs such as advise, advice.

Praxis – Late 16th cent.: via medieval Latin from Greek, literally ‘doing,’ from prattein ‘do.’

Pragmatic – Late 16th cent.(in the senses of busy, interfering, conceited): via Latin from Greek pragmatikos ‘relating to fact,’ from pragma ‘deed’ (from the stem of prattein ‘do’ ). The current sense dates from the mid 19th cent.

Method – Late Middle English (in the sense of prescribed medical treatment for a disease): via Latin from Greek methodos ‘pursuit of knowledge,’ from meta– (‘with, across, or after,’ expressing development) + hodos ‘way.’

Technique – Early 17th cent.(as an adjective in the sense of to do with art or an art): from Latin technicus, from Greek tekhnikos, from tekhne ‘art.’ The noun dates from the 19th cent.

Process / procedure – Middle English : from Old French proces, from Latin processus ‘progression, course,’ from the verb procedere, from pro– ‘forward’ + cedere ‘go.’ . Current senses of the verb date from the late 19th cent.

Approach – Middle English : from Old French aprochier, aprocher, from ecclesiastical Latin appropiare ‘draw near,’ from ad– ‘to’ + propius (comparative of prope ‘near’ ).

Strategy – Early 19th cent.: from French strategie, from Greek strategia ‘generalship,’ from strategos, from stratos ‘army’ + agein ‘to lead.’

Way – Old English weg, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch weg and German Weg, from a base meaning of move, carry.

Style – Middle English (denoting a stylus (an ancient writing implement, consisting of a small rod with a pointed end for scratching letters on wax-covered tablets, and a blunt end for obliterating them), also a literary composition, an official title, or a characteristic manner of literary expression): from Old French stile, from Latin stilus.

Design – Late Middle English (as a verb in the sense of to designate): from Latin designare ‘to designate’ (based on signum ‘a mark’), reinforced by French designer. The noun is via French from Italian.

System – Early 17th cent.: from French systeme or late Latin systema, from Greek sustema, from sun– ‘with’ + histanai ‘set up.’

Pattern – Middle English patron, as in something serving as a model, from Latin patronus ‘protector of clients, defender,’ from pater, patr– ‘father.’ . The change in sense is from the idea of a patron giving an example to be copied. By 1700 patron ceased to be used of things, and the two forms became differentiated in sense.

Matter – Middle English : via Old French from Latin materia ‘timber, substance,’ also ‘subject of discourse,’ from mater ‘mother.’

Consult – Early 16th cent. (in the sense of deliberate together, confer): from French consulter, from Latin consultare, frequentative of consulere ‘take counsel.’ (NOTE: I’d have thought: Not con– ‘together’ + + saltare, from salire ‘to leap.’ However, see counsel, below)

• Insult – Mid 16th cent. (as a verb in the sense of exult, act arrogantly): from Latin insultare ‘jump or trample on,’ from in– ‘on’ + saltare, from salire ‘to leap.’ The noun (in the early 17th cent. denoting an attack) is from French insulte or ecclesiastical Latin insultus. The main current senses date from the 17th century.
• Somersault – Mid 16th cent.(as a noun): from Old French sombresault, from Provencal sobresaut, from sobre ‘above’ + saut ‘leap.’
• Counsel – Middle English : via Old French counseil (noun), conseiller (verb), from Latin consilium ‘consultation, advice,’ related to consulere.
• Conference – Late Middle English (in the general sense of bring together): from Latin conferre, from con– ‘together’ + ferre ‘bring.’
• Converse – Late Middle English (in the sense of live among, be familiar with): from Old French converser, from Latin conversari ‘keep company (with),’ from con– ‘with’ + versare, frequentative of vertere ‘to turn.’ The current sense of the verb dates from the early 17th cent.

Perspective –  Late Middle English in the sense ‘optics’: from medieval Latin perspectiva (ars) ‘science of optics,’ from perspect– ‘looked at closely,’ from the verb perspicere, from per– ‘through’ + specere ‘to look.’Perceive – Middle English : from a variant of Old French perçoivre, from Latin percipere ‘seize, understand,’ from per– ‘entirely’ + capere ‘take.’

Conceive / concept – Middle English : from Old French concevoir, from Latin concipere, from com– ‘together’ + capere ‘take.’

Participate – Early 16th cent.: from Latin participat– ‘shared in,’ from the verb participare, based on pars, part– ‘part’ + capere ‘take.’

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Whole – Old English hal, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch heel and German heil, also to hail. The spelling with wh- (reflecting a dialect pronunciation with w-) first appeared in the 15th cent.

Holism – 1920s: from holo- [whole] + –ism ; coined by J. C. Smuts to designate the tendency in nature to produce organized “wholes” (bodies or organisms) from the ordered grouping of units.

Organize – Late Middle English : from medieval Latin organizare, from Latin organum ‘instrument, tool’ (see organ ).

System – Early 17th cent.: from French système or late Latin systema, from Greek sustema, from sun– ‘with’ + histanai ‘set up.’

Synthesis – Early 17th cent.: via Latin from Greek sunthesis, from suntithenai ‘place together.’

Synopsis –  Early 17th cent.: via late Latin from Greek, from sun– ‘together’ + opsis ‘seeing.’

Articulate – Mid 16th cent.: from Latin articulatus, past participle of articulare ‘divide into joints, utter distinctly,’ from articulus ‘small connecting part’.

Article – Middle English (denoting a separate clause of the Apostles’ Creed): from Old French, from Latin articulus ‘small connecting part,’ diminutive of artus ‘joint.’

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Object – Late Middle English : from medieval Latin objectum ‘thing presented to the mind,’ neuter past participle (used as a noun) of Latin obicere, from ob– ‘in the way of’ + jacere ‘to throw’ ; the verb may also partly represent the Latin frequentative objectare.

Subject – Middle English (in the sense of (person) owing obedience): from Old French suget, from Latin subjectus ‘brought under,’ past participle of subicere, from sub– ‘under’ + jacere ‘throw.’ Senses relating to philosophy, logic, and grammar are derived ultimately from Aristotle’s use of to hupokeimenon meaning material from which things are made and subject of attributes and predicates.

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Individual – Late Middle English (in the sense of indivisible): from medieval Latin individualis, from Latin individuus, from in– ‘not’ + dividuus ‘divisible’ (from dividere ‘to divide’ ).

Atom – Late 15th cent.: from Old French atome, via Latin from Greek atomos ‘indivisible,’ based on a- ‘not’ + temnein ‘to cut.’

Collective – Late Middle English in the sense of representing many individuals): from Old French collectif, –ive or Latin collectivus, from collect– ‘gathered together,’ from the verb colligere.

Cooperate – Late 16th cent.: from ecclesiastical Latin cooperat– ‘worked together,’ from the verb cooperari, from co– ‘together’ + operari ‘to work.’

Collaborate – Late 19th cent.: from Latin collaborat– ‘worked with,’ from the verb collaborare, from col– ‘together’ + laborare ‘to work.’

Coerce – Late Middle English : from Latin coercere ‘restrain,’ from co– ‘jointly, together’ + arcere ‘restrain.’

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Apprehend – Late Middle English (originally in the sense  of grasp, get hold of (physically or mentally): from French appréhender or Latin apprehendere, from ad– ‘toward’ + prehendere ‘lay hold of.’

Comprehend – Middle English : from Old French comprehender, or Latin comprehendere, from com– ‘together’ + prehendere ‘grasp.’

Contain – Middle English : from Old French contenir, from Latin continere, from con– ‘altogether’ + tenere ‘to hold.’

Content – Late Middle English : from medieval Latin contentum (plural contenta ‘things contained’ ), neuter past part. of continere.

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Influence – Late Middle English : from Old French, or from medieval Latin influentia ‘inflow,’ from Latin influere, from in– ‘into’ + fluere ‘to flow.’ The word originally had the general sense of an influx, flowing matter, also specifically in astrology of the flowing in of ethereal fluid affecting human destiny. The sense of imperceptible or indirect action exerted to cause changes was established in Scholastic Latin by the 13th cent., but not recorded in English until the late 16th cent.

Inspire –  Middle English enspire, from Old French inspirer, from Latin inspirare ‘breathe or blow into,’ from in– ‘into’ + spirare ‘breathe.’ The word was originally used of a divine or supernatural being, in the sense of imparting a truth or idea to someone.

Intend – Middle English entend (in the sense of direct the attention to), from Old French entendre, from Latin intendere ‘intend, extend, direct,’ from in– ‘toward’ + tendere ‘stretch, tend.’

Extend – Late Middle English : from Latin extendere ‘stretch out,’ from ex– ‘out’ + tendere ‘stretch.’

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Responsible – Late 16th cent. in the sense of answering to, corresponding): from obsolete French, from Latin respons– ‘answered, offered in return,’ from the verb respondere.

Conditions – Middle English : from Old French condicion (noun), condicionner (verb), from Latin condicio(n-) ‘agreement,’ from condicere ‘agree upon,’ from con– ‘with’ + dicere ‘say.’

Context – Late Middle English (denoting the construction of a text): from Latin contextus, from con– ‘together’ + texere ‘to weave.’

Situation – Late Middle English: from French, or from medieval Latin situatio(n-), from situare ‘to place.’

Circumstance –  Middle English : from Old French circonstance or Latin circumstantia, from circumstare ‘encircle, encompass,’ from circum ‘around’ + stare ‘stand

Environment – Middle English (formerly also as inviron): from Old French environer, from environ ‘surroundings,’ from en ‘in’ + viron ‘circuit’ (from virer ‘to turn, veer’ ).

Surroundings – Late Middle English (in the sense of overflow): from Old French souronder, from late Latin superundare, from super– ‘over’ + undare ‘to flow’ (from unda ‘a wave’ ); later associated with round . Current senses of the noun date from the late 19th cent.

Etymologically, “matrix” is one of the most feminine words in our language. “Motheress.”

Consider the etymology of “interest”, and ask yourself: Isn’t it a case study of how meaning drains from words over time? Inter + est. Nowadays the word “interest” implies that we stand apart from a thing and regard it objectively. That is we stay apart from it and keep it “whole against the sky”, as opposed to entering into its being – really being with it. At least we’ve preserved some formal grammatical clues: we remain interested in something, not interested about it, or on it, or toward it.