consols: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
RareFormal, Historical, Financial
Quick answer
What does “consols” mean?
British government bonds that have no maturity date and pay a fixed interest rate.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
British government bonds that have no maturity date and pay a fixed interest rate.
A historical type of consolidated perpetual bond, a major component of British national debt from the 18th to the 20th centuries. In modern usage, the term can sometimes refer by analogy to other long-term, stable, and low-risk investment instruments.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is specifically British in origin and context. It is rarely, if ever, used in contemporary American financial discourse, where terms like 'Treasuries' or 'government bonds' are standard.
Connotations
In British English, it carries strong historical and institutional connotations, often associated with 19th-century finance, the British Empire, and secure, old-money investments.
Frequency
Very rare in modern British English outside historical or specialised financial texts. Unknown in general American English.
Grammar
How to Use “consols” in a Sentence
to invest in consolsto hold consolsthe yield on consolsconsols were issuedVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “consols” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The government sought to consol various debts into a single issue.
adjective
British English
- The consol market was quiet today.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in historical financial analysis or in very specific contexts referring to legacy British debt instruments.
Academic
Used in economic history, financial history, and studies of 18th-20th century British public finance.
Everyday
Virtually never used in everyday conversation.
Technical
A precise term in historical finance for a specific type of perpetual bond issued by the UK Treasury.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “consols”
- Using it as a singular noun ('a consol').
- Using it to refer to modern bonds generally.
- Confusing it with 'console'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, new consols have not been issued for many decades. The last major issue was in the early 20th century, and the remaining ones were largely redeemed in 2015.
The name is a shortening of 'consolidated annuities', reflecting how multiple older government debts were consolidated into a single type of bond in the 18th century.
Its perpetual nature; it had no fixed maturity date. The government promised to pay interest forever unless it chose to buy them back.
It is highly unlikely. After the UK government's 2015 redemption offer, very few, if any, remain in private hands. They are now mainly of historical interest.
British government bonds that have no maturity date and pay a fixed interest rate.
Consols is usually formal, historical, financial in register.
Consols: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkɒnsɒlz/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkɑːnsɑːlz/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “As safe as consols (historical idiom implying absolute security).”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of CONsolidated SOLid government bonds. CONSOLS = CONsolidated, SOLid investment.
Conceptual Metaphor
FINANCIAL SECURITY IS SOLID GROUND (Consols were seen as the bedrock of a secure portfolio).
Practice
Quiz
What are 'consols' primarily associated with?