consul

[kon-suh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR consul ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an official appointed by the government of one country to look after its commercial interests and the welfare of its citizens in another country.

either of the two chief magistrates of the ancient Roman republic.

French History. one of the three supreme magistrates of the First Republic during the period 1799–1804.

Origin of consul

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin; traditionally taken to be a derivative of consulere to consult, but orig. and interrelationship of both words is unclear

Related formscon·su·lar, adjectivecon·sul·ship, nounnon·con·su·lar, adjectivesub·con·sul, nounsub·con·su·lar, adjectivesub·con·sul·ship, noun

Can be confusedconsul council counsel (see usage note at council)

Usage note

See council.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for consular

diplomatic, valid

Examples from the Web for consular

Contemporary Examples of consular

Consular officials are protected against arrest only for acts committed in the course of their duties.
Husain Haqqani on America’s Diplomat Shame
Husain Haqqani
December 19, 2013
Remember, Karl's scoop last week, timed to the testimony of the three consular aides, set off an earthquake.
Will ABC Finger the Liar?
Michael Tomasky
May 17, 2013
Joudah said an American consular official did get in touch with her.
Critics Fear Visa Waiver For Israel Glosses Over Discrimination Against Americans
Ali Gharib, George Hale
May 16, 2013
What the hard-shell righties want to know is not about the boring issue of consular security.
The Nonexistent Case Against Susan Rice Crumbles
Michael Tomasky
November 16, 2012
Marco Rubio and Saxby Chambliss want answers about consular security measures.
The Nonexistent Case Against Susan Rice Crumbles
Michael Tomasky
November 16, 2012

Historical Examples of consular

After Bonaparte had assumed the consular authority, they were reduced to ten.
Memoirs of the Court of St. Cloud, Complete
Lewis Goldsmith
They did in that act a number of very good things for the consular service.
Latin America and the United States
Elihu Root
By this time a change had taken place in the consular office.
A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories
William D. Howells
Norwegian policy after the grounding of the Consular negotiations.
The Swedish-Norwegian Union Crisis
Karl Nordlund
The prætorian elections, like the consular, had been put off till February.
The Letters of Cicero, Volume 1
Marcus Tullius Cicero

British Dictionary definitions for consular

consul

noun

an official appointed by a sovereign state to protect its commercial interests and aid its citizens in a foreign city

(in ancient Rome) either of two annually elected magistrates who jointly exercised the highest authority in the republic

(in France from 1799 to 1804) any of the three chief magistrates of the First Republic

Derived Formsconsular (ˈkɒnsjʊlə), adjectiveconsulship, noun

Word Origin for consul

C14: from Latin, from consulere to consult

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for consular

adj.

early 15c., from Latin consularis, from consul (see consul).

consul

late 14c., "magistrate in ancient Rome," from Old French consule and directly from Latin consul "magistrate in ancient Rome," probably originally "one who consults the Senate," from consulere "to deliberate, take counsel" (see consultation).

Modern sense began with use as appellation of various foreign officials and magistrates, "a representative chosen by a community of merchants living in a foreign country; an agent appointed by a government or ruler to represent the interests of its subjects and traders in a foreign place" (c.1600), an extended sense that developed 13c. in the Spanish form of the word.