quorum

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the minimum number of members who must be present for a group to conduct official business

   The committee postponed the vote because it lacked a quorum.

2. 2
   noun

   computing: the minimum number of participating systems or votes required to approve an operation in a distributed system

   The database waits for a quorum before confirming the update.

Simplified etymology

Quorum comes from Latin quorum, “of whom,” as used in the commission formula quorum vos…unum esse volumus, “of whom we wish you to be one.” It originally referred to justices of the peace whose presence was required to constitute a deciding body.

Topics

External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary