Council

A council is a municipal body where mediocre people make bad decisions about local affairs. “Council” comes from concilium, the Latin word for an assembly or convocation of clever people: con- (‘together’) + calare (‘to summon’). It is not, ever, a legal adviser - not even a mediocre one. The word you are after is counsel. This also comes from Latin: consilium (‘consultation, advice’), and the verb consulere (‘to consult’).