quorum

noun

quo·​rum ˈkwȯr-əm 

plural quorums or quora ˈkwȯr-ə 

1

: the minimum number of officers or members of a body that is required to be present at a given meeting (as to transact business)

In order to adopt articles, according to the rules, the assembly will need a quorum of two thirds.

—Ciara Nugent

A minyan is a quorum of 10 adult Jews necessary for public prayer services.

—Jeannine F. Hunter

2

: a select group

… speaking to a quorum of young and ambitious lawyers …

—Lewis H. Lapham

… the gala's guests, who typically include a quorum of … Hollywood A-listers and supermodels.

—Annie Karni

3

: a body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints comprising those in the same grade of priesthood

Did you know?

Quorum Has a Legal History

It takes two drama queens to tango, three Nervous Nellies to change a lightbulb, and 218 U.S. House Representatives to constitute a formal meeting. Each of these minimums—especially the last one—may be described as a quorum. This word, which can be pluralized as quorums or quora, comes directly from the Latin word quorum, which translates as "of whom." At one time, this Latin quorum was used in the wording of the commissions granting power to justices of the peace in England. Later, when it became an English noun, quorum initially referred to the number of justices of the peace who had to be present to constitute a legally sufficient bench. That sense is now rare, and today quorum is used to refer to the minimum number of people required to be present at a meeting in order for official business to take place. It can also be used more broadly to mean simply "a select group."

Examples of quorum in a Sentence

We need five people to make a quorum.

Recent Examples on the Web

Politically, Hezbollah has enough seats with its allies to thwart quorum in parliament even as many of its MPs have maintained a lower profile for fear of drawing Israeli fire. —Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024

Paxton wrote in a brief filed Wednesday night that the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals should affirm a lower court’s decision that a quorum was not present for the bill’s passage. —Ashley Oliver, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 10 Oct. 2024

Bank of America analyst Ronald Epstein agreed with Marcus’ assessment, and expects a Harris presidency with a Democratic majority in the Senate and a Republican quorum in the U.S. House of Representatives, will continue the pattern of sluggish spending increases. —Brian Evans, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2024

Parliament was meant to hold an initial vote on the law Tuesday but could not reach a quorum, and had to postpone it. —Stella Martany and Kareem Chehayeb, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, quorum of justices of the peace, from Latin, of whom, genitive plural of qui who; from the wording of the commission formerly issued to justices of the peace

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing quorum

• quorum sensing

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

quorum

noun

quo·​rum ˈkwōr-əm 

ˈkwȯr-

: the number of members of an organization required to be present in order for business to be carried on

Legal Definition

quorum

noun

quo·​rum ˈkwōr-əm 

: the number (as a majority) of members or officers that must be present to conduct business

lacked a quorum at the meeting of shareholders

Etymology

Middle English, a select number of English justices of the peace formerly required to be present at sessions to constitute a lawful bench, from Latin, of whom, genitive plural of qui who; from the wording of the commission once issued to justices of the peace in England