A quorum is the minimum number of people that a committee needs in order to carry out its business officially. When a meeting has a quorum, there are at least that number of people present.
...enough deputies to make a quorum.
quorum in British English
(ˈkwɔːrəm)
noun
a minimum number of members in an assembly, society, board of directors, etc, required to be present before any valid business can be transacted
the quorum is forty
we don't have a quorum
Word origin
C15: from Latin, literally: of whom, occurring in Latin commissions in the formulaquorum vos … duos (etc) volumus of whom we wish that you be … two
quorum in American English
(ˈkwɔrəm)
noun
1. Obsolete
the number of justices of the peace required to be present at sessions of English courts
2.
the minimum number of members required to be present at an assembly or meeting beforeit can validly proceed to transact business
3.
a select group or company
Word origin
L, gen. pl. of qui, who: from use in court commissions
Examples of 'quorum' in a sentence
quorum
Is there any way that the board can conduct business if a quorum is not present?
Christianity Today (2000)
Some states did not even bother to send delegates, and pressing issues often had to be postponed for lack of a quorum.
Divine, Robert A. (editor) & Breen, T. H & Frederickson, George M & Williams, R. Hal America Past and Present (1995)