[L. consortium partnership, f. consors CONSORT. Thence It. consorzio and OF. consorce.] Partnership, association.
1881. H. A. Webster, in Encycl. Brit., XIII. 466/2 (Italy). The law [of 1874] united the six banks into a consorzio or union, bound, if required, to furnish to the national exchequer bank-notes to the value of 1,000,000,000 lire manufactured and renewed at their common expense; but by the law of 7th April 1881 … the consortium of the banks came to a close on the 30th June 1881, and the consortial notes actually current are formed into a direct national debt.
