Consigliere
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A consigliere (IPA /consiʎere/) is the Italian term for adviser or counsellor. [From Latin consiliarius, from consilium, advice.]
Some compound forms: consigliere comunale = city councilman, consigliere personale = personal adviser.
Consigliere entered the popular lexicon through the “Godfather” films. There the consigliere is an adviser or counsellor to a mafia boss. As well, it is the consigliere's role to fill in for the Don as the Don's representative during important meetings, either within the Don's crime family or with other crime families. The consigliere is a close, trusted friend and confidant. It is reputed that in Cosa Nostra (the 'real' mafia) the consigliere is the third-most powerful figure in a Mafia family, following the underboss and the boss.
The role of consigliere is commonly associated with Robert Duvall's portrayal of Tom Hagen in The Godfather. Tom is a live-in friend of Sonny's and a practicing attorney. He serves as consigliere until Michael takes over the family and replaces him because he doesn't view Tom as "a war-time consigliere." Another notable consigliere is Silvio Dante on The Sopranos.
"Consigliere" does not simply mean "advisor." The consigliere may be the second highest ranking member of a family, second only to the Don. As with many royal courts in history, the most powerful position must be kept within the family and the royal bloodline; but the second most powerful position is often the Adviser to the King, and this position is given to the most qualified man for the job, independent of background. Often in history the nobles of conquered kingdoms would become advisers to the conqueror.
The status of consigliere is different in Chicago, though. The Outfit holds the consigliere as a rank for a senior member, and has more power than the boss in a way, with the first recommendation and final veto.
In the first printing of the Godfather Novel it was spelled "Consigliori." This was corrected to the above spelling in later reprints of the novel.
