Origin and Definition of Consistency

During the analysis of the 7 life lessons from the gym session, we discussed the importance of consistency when you want sustained results. Beginning with the article you’re about to read, we shall be taking a deeper dive into what consistency truly is and how you can become consistent.

In this episode, we shall look at the origin and definition of the word consistency.

Origin of the word Consistency.

The word consistency (from the root word consistent) originated in the 1590s from the medieval Latin word consistentia, literally “a standing together or firmness of matter.” It could also have originated from the Latin word consistentem, which is the present participle of the Italian word consistere – to stand firm, take a standing position, stop, halt.

It has obviously evolved with time to include other things that weren’t originally intended when used in the 1590s; languages evolve and so do many words in the English language.

Definition of Consistency

The American heritage dictionary defines consistency as agreement or logical coherence among things or parts. It is correspondence among related aspects; compatibility. It also means reliability or uniformity of successive results or events.

According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, consistency is defined as agreement or harmony of parts or features to one another or a whole; harmony of conduct or practise with profession. It also means the degree of firmness, density, viscosity, or resistance to movement or separation of constituent particles

The Oxford English dictionary defines consistency as the quality of achieving a level of performance that does not vary greatly in quality over time. It could also mean the way in which a substance holds together; thickness or viscosity.

Read: 8 things that Consistency is not