consistory: Meaning and Definition of

con•sis•to•ry

1. any of various ecclesiastical councils or tribunals.
2. the place where such a council or tribunal meets.
3. the meeting of any such body.
4. a solemn assembly of the whole body of cardinals, summoned and presided over by the pope.
5. a diocesan court for dealing with ecclesiastical and spiritual questions, held in the cathedral church and presided over by the bishop, the bishop's chancellor, or the commissary.
6. (in certain Reformed churches) the governing board of a local church or congregation.
7. any assembly or council.
8. a council chamber.