consul

noun

con·sul ˈkän(t)-səl

Synonyms of consul next

: either of two annually elected chief magistrates of the Roman republic

: one of three chief magistrates of the French republic from 1799 to 1804

: an official appointed by a government to reside in a foreign country to represent the commercial interests of citizens of the appointing country

the American consul in Rome

consulship

ˈkän(t)-səl-ˌship

noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Arizona has five Mexican consuls (Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, Nogales and Douglas). —

April Santana, The Arizona Republic, 15 June 2023 Netanyahu failed in his bid to appoint a Likud hard-liner as his consul in New York and another ally as the head of the national statistics office. —

Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 25 May 2023 So did Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who served as vice consul for the Japanese Empire in Kaunas, Lithuania, and helped thousands of Jews fleeing Europe during World War II. —

Mike Wagenheim, Sun Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2023 Remains of the original Appian Way, named for Appius Claudius, a Roman consul, and begun in 312 B.C., are still visible (and make for a great walk) within Rome. —

Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2023 The honorary consul, Valdis Tilgalis, received a fine, records show. —

Will Fitzgibbon, ProPublica, 24 Jan. 2023 Djukic lost his post in 2018 after about four years as consul. —

Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica, 10 Jan. 2023 Three arms of the Azerbaijani government — the consul’s office in Washington, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the president’s office — did not respond to requests for comment. —

Kevin Collier, NBC News, 25 May 2023 Belzoni’s status, a combination of explorer and tomb robber, did not deter the British consul, Henry Salt, from using his services to help transport a massive head of Ramses II to Alexandria, from where it was shipped to the British Museum in London. —

National Geographic, 25 June 2020 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'consul.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin; perhaps akin to Latin consulere to consult

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of consul was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Consul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consul. Accessed 13 Jul. 2023.

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Kids Definition

consul

noun

con·sul ˈkän(t)-səl

: either of two chief officials of the ancient Roman republic who were elected each year

: an official appointed by a government to live in a foreign country to look after the commercial interests of citizens of the appointing country

consular

-s(ə-)lər

adjective

consulship

-səl-ˌship

noun

Legal Definition

consul

noun

con·sul ˈkän-səl

: an official appointed by a government to reside in a foreign country in order to represent the commercial interests of citizens of the appointing country

consular

-sə-lər

adjective

consulship noun