A member of a council or group that makes decisions for a community or organization, especially a local government official.
From Old French 'concile' (from Latin 'consilium' meaning 'advice') combined with '-or' suffix. Sometimes spelled 'councillor' in British English.
The word 'council' comes from the same root as 'conciliate'—ancient Romans realized that to settle conflicts, you had to bring people together to talk, which is why both words mean 'gathering for advice.'
Councilor/councilman defaulted to masculine; 'councilwoman' was added as marked term. Modern plurals still often default to masculine assumptions in governance language.
Use 'councilor' (gender-neutral) or 'council member.' If specifying gender, use 'councilwoman' and 'councilman' symmetrically.
["council member","councilor"]
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.