Quorum

Quorum

Noun · /ˈkwɔːrəm/ · the minimum number of members required to conduct official business

Definition

A quorum is the minimum number of members that must be present at a meeting for that meeting's proceedings and decisions to be legally or constitutionally valid. Without a quorum, no vote can be taken, no resolution passed, and no binding decision made. The concept exists to protect organisations from a small faction making decisions on behalf of the whole. The exact threshold is always defined in advance in the organisation's constitution, bylaws, or standing orders.

Origin

From Latin quorum, the genitive plural of qui, meaning of whom. The word appeared in 16th-century English royal commissions, which specified that certain named justices of the peace must be among those present — quorum unum esse volumus, of whom we will that one be present. Over time, quorum became the single-word shorthand for the required presence of sufficient authorised members.