Concert, Concerted, Disconcerting, Consort

“We choose hope over fear. We see the future not as something out of our control, but as something we can shape for the better through concerted and collective effort.” –Barack Obama

As a noun, concert is a musical performance. Concert is a musical performance by singers and accompanists like drummers, guitarists, organists, pianists among others depending the scale and size of performance.

Concerts are also solo.

Music is an entertainment: human beings have been inventing instruments to create sound that is soothing, uplifting since aeons ago.

Artists in the music industry, especially the singers, have a huge fan base.

Many phrasal nouns are there around concerts: concert-goer, concert pitch, concert hall, concert band, concert dance, concert T-shirt, concert piano or grand (big piano fit for concert performances), concert bass drum.

Concerted as a verb has different meaning from concert the noun.

Concert as a verb refers to dispute that has been settled by an agreement, by mutual understanding and agreement; contriving a plan by mutual agreement.

For every problem and dispute between people and among countries, there are many ways to concert one’s differences, to concert one’s disputes.

Concerted action (noun) is the cooperation among differing and disputing parties or people or countries with a common goal in mind. In a world confronted by many threats, terrorism to nuclear attacks, concerted action is the need of the hour.

Concert comes from the French ‘concert’ which in turn comes from Italian ‘concerto’.

Concertation, noun, is an obsolete word referring to contention, to strife; and a form of dialogue and decision making.

Consort means the wife or husband of a reigning monarch (ruling king or queen), and in Hindu mythology, gods who have other halves – are referred as consorts.

The consort of Shiva is Parvati.

The consort of Vishnu is Lakshmi.

The consort of Brahma is?

Why a commoner’s wife or husband is not referred as consort is something that needs research!

Consort as a verb refers to people keeping company with each other, to go tougher, keeping company with one another or each other; associating, affiliating, hanging out together. Be not surprised to see consorting couple in the parks.

Consortable (fit to be in the company of) is an adjective, and consortion (fellowship, companionship, association) is a noun but are almost obsolete.

Disconcerting is not the opposite of concerting or concert!

Disconcert is a verb, and disconcerting is an adjective meaning causing emotional disturbance, making someone feel embarrassed.

Your disconcerting manners could be: when you ask the age of a person, or salary, or about one’s parents…are they disconcerting you, when asked?