Etymology: < French consort, feminine consorte mate, fellow, partner, wife (= Italian consorte, Spanish consorte), < Latin consors, -ortem sharing property in common, sharer, partner, colleague, comrade, < con- together + sors, sortem lot. (Originally conˈsort.)

Etymology: < consort v. In branch II. after Middle French, French concert, †consert and Italian concerto (for both see concert n.) as a result of folk-etymological association, probably prompted by the shared sense ‘agreement’ (see sense 2). The borrowing concert n. is first attested slightly later in corresponding senses. The two form types were probably regarded by many as variants of a single word, before concert n. became generally adopted (on essentially etymological grounds) as the more appropriate form in these senses (see further discussion at concert n.).There is probably no direct connection with Middle French consorte company (15th cent.; a feminine derivative < consort consort n.¹), although the two nouns are ultimately related (via consort v. and consort n.¹). In early use generally stressed on the second syllable (like consort v., and also resort n., accord n., etc.).

Etymology: Found first in end of 16th cent. The origin and early history are obscure and complicated. It is possible that the different senses had two or even three different origins. Thus, branch I. was apparently formed on consort n.¹, with the notion of ‘act as a consort to’. Branch II. cannot be separated from a simple verb sort v.¹, very common from c1570 onwards in all the senses 3 – 6 below. In sense 3 there was obviously sometimes association with Latin sors , sortem , French sort lot, fate, destiny. Branch III. is intimately associated with consort n.² II. But even if thus originally distinct, the senses appear to have been considered as belonging to one word, and to have mutually influenced each other, for some uses combine the different ideas: compare 4, 5, with 1; 7 with 3, 5, 6. Compare also obsolete Italian consortare ‘to consort together’ (Florio, 1611), < consorte mate, consort. There were also medieval Latin verbs consortare, consortari, to lie adjacent, have common boundaries. No trace of the verb appears in French, Old or New.