council, counsel

1. These are now distinct words and are only distantly related. A council is an administrative body or meeting, and its members are councillors. Counsel is advice given formally and often professionally; counsel or a counsel is a barrister or other legal adviser. A counsellor is someone who gives professional advice, especially on personal and social matters; in American English counselor is also a courtroom lawyer.

2. Note that in Britain a member of the Privy Council, the body of advisers appointed by the Queen, is a Privy Counsellor.

3. Only counsel can be used as a verb, meaning 'to give advice to'; it has inflected forms counselled, counselling.

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