con·sol·i·date /kən-'sä-lə-ˌdāt/ vt -dat·ed, -dat·ing: to join together into one whole: as
a: to combine (two or more lawsuits or matters that involve a common question of law or fact) into one compare class action
◇ Consolidation of matters in the federal courts is governed by Rule 42 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Consolidated cases may become one single action with a single judgment, or may retain their individual identities although tried together. The court may also try one representative case and render a judgment binding on the other cases.
b: to combine (two or more corporations) to form one new corporation compare merger
con·sol·i·da·tion /kən-ˌsä-lə-'dā-shən/ n
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.