Ciara NugentJeannine F. HunterLewis H. LaphamAnnie Karni
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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
Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2024
The commission lacked a quorum to meet until earlier this week when Gov. Mike Parson appointed Whitney Smith of Des Peres to the commission – filling the fourth of sixth commission spots.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 7 June 2024
At least a quorum of members of the legislative body must participate from a single public location, such as a city council chamber, where the public can be present.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024
The other five judges should have heard the case, as is allowed under the state Constitution, which sets a quorum at five.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for quorum 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quorum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near quorum
Cite this Entry
“Quorum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quorum. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quorum
noun
Legal Definition
quorum
noun
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
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