Council. Any formal meeting of bishops or other representatives of the Church may be called a council. Many are local and sometimes also called synods. In the Reformed tradition such meetings are often called assemblies. A General Council, because of its universality or claim to universality, has a special historical importance. Councils have also played a significant role in the history of Buddhism, especially those held between the 5th c. BCE and the 1st c. CE for the purpose of determining the canon of Buddhist Scripture and for considering matters of discipline and procedure.

Geddes MacGregor, Dictionary of Religion and Philosophy, New York: Paragon House, 1989

council : (f.) vidhāyakasabhā || district council: (f.) padesasabhā; legislative council: (f.) nītidāyakasabhā; municipal council: (f.) nāgarasabhā; privy council: (f.) sacivasabha. (nt.) rājadhikaraṇa; state council: (f.) rājamantisabhā.

A.P. Buddhadatta Mahathera, Concise Pali-English and English-Pali Dictionary [available as digital version from Metta Net, Sri Lanka]